Anna in Israel

I spent the last half of Sunday and most of Monday resting because I had been having some stomach issues (still not quite sure exactly what it was, but I feel better now). Dr. Schuler was particularly concerned about everyone's health, so he thought I should stay at the kibbutz on Monday to rest up so I could finish the week strong. I spent the morning sleeping in, catching up on email, and working on some calculations for Rachel, the small finds registrar.

I felt fine on Tuesday and went up to the dig site. I'm so glad I did because it was one of the best days of digging that we've had. Almost all of us were working in one large room. We had some people digging, some people hauling buckets, and a few people wheelbarrowing. It was so much fun with the larger group and we moved a lot of dirt that day. The morning passed by quickly and was very productive.

Probably one of the most exciting parts of Tuesday was finding an item! After seeing multiple columns, capitals, inscriptions, nails, glass pieces, pots, and more, I wanted to find something besides dirt, rocks, and pottery shards. The item I found was a metal knife that had most of the main blade in tact, but had some fragments, too. It was, of course, covered in rust and dirt, but was still an exciting find for me. Of course, since the find was significant, I don't get to keep it...

Part of Wednesday and all of Thursday were spent cleaning up the site. This meant sweeping the floors and streets and clearing away loose rocks, dirt, and weeds for photos as well as putting all of our supplies away and tidying up the place. It probably wasn't considered the most "fun" part of the trip, but a well-cleaned site was our reward.

I spent many of the afternoons this week working on calculations. Every time an item (other than pottery) is found, it is documented for its size, use, and shape, as well as its location in the square. I was given the task of converting many of the measurements recorded into the grid system of the site. I helped Dr. Schuler take a number of these measurements initially and then we converted them into formulas.

As far as extra activities this week, the University of Haifa group sponsored a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee on Tuesday evening. Wednesday was an end-of-the-year barbecue for the two groups, and Thursday Dr. Schuler took our team out to dinner at the fish restaurant.

Friday was spent moving things out of the lab into storage, packing, and saying our last good-byes. We left Kibbutz Ein Gev around 5:30 p.m. Israeli time for our midnight flight. We were thoroughly questioned before we were able to check in and ended up just barely making it to our gate before our plane began boarding. We all thank Dr. Schuler for getting us to the airport early enough that this was not a huge problem.

Travel was fairly uneventful and after getting only a few hours of sleep over the past two days, I'm ready for bed. I'm hoping that jet lag will not hit me too badly.

As I've said before, I am so thankful for this incredible opportunity I've had to visit the Holy Land and participate in an archaeological dig. I knew I wanted to visit where Jesus lived and walked, but I never thought I would do it in the context of a dig. I feel like I grew so much during my month in Israel - spiritually, physically, emotionally, relationally, intellectually, and more. I hope that the lessons, skills, and knowledge I've learned will follow me for the rest of my life. I feel I have a deeper sense of who Jesus is as a human and what that meant for Him as God. I now have images and places to connect with names and the stories become more real. I thank God for continuing to reveal Himself to me, and I know He can do that whether in the place He chose to become human or whether in the place I currently call "home".

I ended the last post by saying that we were headed to the Dead Sea and other nearby sites. Last Thursday, we left around 8:30 a.m. (which, for us, meant sleeping in since we are used to leaving around 4:45 a.m. for the site each morning). We headed first to Qumran, where some of the dead sea scrolls were found. We first walked through a museum that had a few diagrams, models, and other exhibits before seeing the archaeological site outside. We learned that there are several different explanations for what the building at Qumran was used for, including it being a mansion, a pottery factory, a monastery, and more. We learned how this place in the desert is able to collect enough water for usage each year, including for cooking, bathing, and religious purity. We also were able to see the caves that the scrolls were found.

After Qumran, we headed to Ein Gedi, the springs. Though still the desert, it was incredible to see the difference in color the reliable water supply made to the landscape. We hiked around on the nature path to see the waterfalls, including what is known as David's waterfall, based on the story found in 1 Samuel 24. Being sweaty from the hot desert sun and walking around, many of us ended up jumping in to the small pool formed by the waterfall. It was certainly refreshing and the wet clothes actually felt better as we continued our hike in the hot sun. We ended our hike to Ein Gedi by visiting the old synagogue that has a mosaic with an inscription including the names of the 12 tribes and the zodiac. Right next to the synagogue was the location where Dr. Schuler first participated in an archaeological dig.

Our final destination was the Dead Sea where we had a chance to swim. I can tell you from personal experience that it is no myth that a person can actually float on the Dead Sea without trying. If I remember correctly, the Dead Sea is about 30% salt content, and it still amazes me that salt can make such a difference in a body of water. Of course, I also felt any scrape or cut I had, but it was completely worth it to say that I swam in the Dead Sea.

The day ended when we headed back to the Youth Hostel where we were staying at Ein Gedi to shower, relax, and eat dinner.

The next day, we ate breakfast and then headed out to Masada. This mountain, though not directly related to Jesus and any Biblical story, has a lot of historical meaning for Herod and the Jews. The top of Masada was where Herod built one of his many fortresses and where the Jews fled and spent two years under siege from the Romans. According to legend, the Jews killed each other to die honorable deaths before the Romans reached them, but of course there are differing views on this story like any other.

I had the chance to climb Masada, and took it (hence the title of this post). The 50 minute hike was harder than I expected, but I can now say that I have climbed Masada. We spent a considerable chunk of time up on Masada looking at the remains of Herod's two palaces, the Jewish synagogue, the Roman encampments below Masada, the siege ramp where the Romans finally broke in, and more. It was incredible to think of a whole city existing on top of this huge mountain in the desert and was really neat to see. After we descended Masada, we headed back to Qumran for lunch and then headed back to the kibbutz. Though a bit more on the exhausting side due to the hiking and heat, it was a great trip and I am glad I was able to experience more of Israel and its history.

This past week of archaeology has been a blur, so I don't know exactly what to comment on, but the basics are that we are almost finished with the rooms that we began excavating. Since my team finished our room last week and two of our team members left on Sunday (along with three others), I have been doing something different almost every day. I spent one day helping in the square that had a ton of huge rocks in that was finally cleared Wednesday and Thursday by the strongest people on our team who had to lift all the dirt well above their heads. I spent a couple days working in the garden/fountain area, too. Probably one of the most exciting things I did this week was clean a mosaic inscription we found on the floor leading into the garden. The official translation is "Good luck to the builder." It was a tedious process involving surgical scalpels and water, but it was an experience I'm sure I'll never have again.

On Monday, we went to another archaeological site with the other Haifa team and saw a reconstructed synagogue. One of the sites best assets is a computerized crane that can pinpoint the exact 3D location of any rock or item that is pulled from the site. We also saw a propaganda movie, model presentation, and brewery introduction in the Golan Heights. We finished the evening by heading to a Vulcanic Park with an IDF (Israel Defense Force) bunker for dinner.

The week ended with me feeling sick to my stomach on Thursday, so I ended up heading back to the kibbutz after breakfast instead of staying the rest of the day. After sleeping for 2.5 hours and hydrating myself some more, I felt a lot better, so I'm hoping it was just a state of dehydration that I can easily prevent in the future.

This past weekend was free, and I spent it swimming, helping label photos, and hiking up to Hippos (usually we drive partway and hike the rest). I was stung by a bee for the first time on the hike up to Hippos this morning, so that kind of freaked me out a bit as well. As long as I am not permanently afraid of bees now (since it hurt quite a bit), I'll be fine, though. We also were able to stand on a 1.5-2 foot diameter rock that jutted out from the mountain, giving us an awesome view of the surrounding area.

It's hard to believe that I've been here 3 weeks and only have a week left. The archaeology work has been good (though I'll be honest that it can be difficult at times), and I feel I've seen so many things that will be cemented in my memory for the rest of my life. The one thing I keep thinking about, though, is what Dr. Schuler mentioned this morning. It's so easy to think about the God side of Jesus, but sometimes we forget about the human side. As we walk up these mountains and see the view, it helps us better understand what it was like when the Bible says that Jesus up to a mountain in solitude to pray. When we walk where he may have walked, we start to ask more questions like "Did Jesus get stung by bees? Or was he able to repel them away?" If we want to focus on Jesus being fully human, he probably was stung, but it still causes us to take a step back and really attempt to grasp what being fully human and fully God really means. I'm sure that are a lot more thoughts I am trying to process right now, but I know that these images I am placing into my memory bank will be retrieved time and time again as I continue to learn about Jesus and how His ministry here on earth in this REAL place continues to completely change humankind.

If interested in viewing pictures from the trip so far, click on the link titled "Trip Photos" in the top navigation bar or click here.

I don't know if I'll be able to recap everything that has happened in the last week, but I'll try. Each week so far, the University of Haifa team (the university that our director Dr. Mark Schuler is working under) leads a short sightseeing trip. Last week Wednesday (July 6) we were able to visit Mt. Arbel, an archaeological site with the ruins of a Jewish synagogue, and eat a Beduoin-style meal of pita bread with condiments. The climb, though described as an "easy hike" actually contained some cliff-climbing where sometimes only a metal handle separated our feet from the ground many feet below. The Bedouin meal, as all Israeli dinners have been so far, was light, but good. I've been trying to be as adventurous by trying as many things as possible, so I think I tried all the different spreads, vegetables, and meat that could go on/in our pita bread.

Last Thursday (July 7), after digging, we left for Jerusalem. Once in Jerusalem, we checked into our hotel and then took a short walking tour around the city. Dr. Schuler showed us the site that he believes was the location of Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate. It was certainly a historical, emotional, and spiritual experience to walk up onto the platform, gaze out at the grass and surrounding area where the crowd shouted "Crucify him!" as loudly as they could. It made me consider what Jesus was thinking about as He stood there, knowing that He would be taken away, beaten, and pushed to death, even though He was innocent, for the sake of our sins. We walked the path that Jesus may have taken to Golgotha, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the crucifixion and burial of Jesus is commemorated.

The next day, we had a whirlwind of activity (which, of course, was accompanied by the hot Israeli heat that also managed to follow us around). The morning began at 6:15 a.m. when we met to attempt a visit to the tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus is believed to have been buried. (Dr. Schuler said we normally have better luck seeing it in the early morning than during the day when more tourists are out). Unfortunately, we were unable to see it (and equally unfortunate the next day) because of mass going on. Visting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was a very interesting experience because it was one of my first experiences with many of the other branches of Christianity, including Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian, and more. Each has their own service and own part of the church.

After eating breakfast (where we actually were able to have cheese because the hotel doesn't follow kosher), we headed to Hezekiah's tunnel. Even though the water was a bit chilly, it didn't come up much past our knees and was a very cool experience (no pun intended). It is amazing to think that Hezekiah (well, his workers) were able to create such an amazing water system. Around the tunnel, we saw ruins of what some believe to be David's palace as well as the pool of Siloam. Next, we headed to Jerusalem Archaeological Park where we were able to sit on the steps leading up to the temple mount. These steps very likely existed at the time of Jesus and he more than likely walked up them when he made the trip to Jerusalem. Once again, it was a neat experience and made think a lot.

After the archaeological site, we ate a quick lunch, where I had a shawarma sandwich (wouldn't have mentioned it, but I thought it was fitting...), which consisted of meat and vegetables in pita bread. We then headed to Redeemer Lutheran Church where we climbed the tower to get an amazing view of the city of Jerusalem. By that time we had seen a fairly decent portion of the city on foot, so it was neat to get an aerial view. Next, we headed back to the hotel to change clothes appropriate for holy sites and began the hike up the Mount of Olives. It was not the most fun climb in the heat, but I can now say that I've climbed the Mount of Olives, and it didn't hurt me too much. :) On our way back down the Mount of Olives, we stopped at a few churches, including the Chapel of the Ascension (where Jesus' ascension is commemorated), the Church of all Nations (where Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane is commemorated), Dominus Flevit (where Jesus weeping is commemorated), Grotto of Gethsemane (another probable location of Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane), the Pool of Bethesda ruins, and the Church of St. Anne (which had amazing acoustics where any choir would enjoy singing). On the way back to the hotel, we walked the Via Dolorosa, the path that Christians have been walking for centuries remembering Jesus' walk from Pilate to the cross. The evening was spent shopping and bargaining.

On Saturday, we went to Bethlehem. We visited the Church of the Nativity, commemorating the place where Jesus is said to have been born and also honoring Jerome, the translator of the Bible into the Vulgate (the Latin Bible). The rest of the morning was spent shopping. In the afternoon, we went to the Herodion, one of Herod the Great's many fortresses. It was basically a huge mansion and included a synagogue, baths, a cistern, towers, and more. Herod literally moved a mountain when he built this fortress.

This past week, we have mostly spent our time digging. I feel like I have gotten the hang of the work here, am starting to get into the routine of it, and am definitely appreciating the experience. Just today, my small group finished the room we were digging up to find a rather beat-up floor that had survived three earthquakes. We also worked in a different area this week to uncover some steps and a water basin. Other groups have found some pretty impressive stuff, including benches in the rooms, a water bowl still in tact, lintel stones (over doorways), doorways, and more. In the category of smal finds, we have found nails, a lock, glass, bones, and more. Of course, there is the almost endless supply of pottery shards as well, which we so happily clean every day before group devotions.

On Tuesday (July 12), we were given a gift from a team member's church to ride on a boat in the Sea of Galilee. The team member, Darryl, who is also my dig team leader, led a devotion while we were sailing. It was a neat to imagine Jesus and his disciples sailing on the sea and imagine Him teaching them. It gave me a new perspective of the story of Jesus calming the storm and Jesus walking on water. The evening ended by watching the beautiful sunset that God paints in the sky for us each night.

Yesterday (July 13), the University of Haifa team trip was to Banias, which included the ruins of Caesarea Philippi and swimming in a stream that feeds into the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. It was nice and relaxing.

Tomorrow, we are headed to the Dead Sea and some other sites around there. Hopefully I'll have a chance to write after the trip.

Again, I apologize that this post is long, but I wanted to recap as much as I could remember from the last week. If you would like to see pictures, you can click here.

Though this post was mainly to summarize this past week's happenings, I do want to say how amazing it is to have this chance to be in the Holy Land. I know I'll be paying more attention to the geography of the Bible and have much different images in my mind when I read about these places. Most of all, it's given me a different perspective as I imagine Jesus in these places. It's made me think more about the history and culture that He lived in. At the same time, I've also wanted to make sure that the focus is not on these places, but rather the salvation that was bought for us through Jesus' life and death in these places. The places can make it become more real, but it is what happened that actually makes a difference in our lives. I think it's starting to kick in that I'm walking where Jesus walked and finally seeing this Biblical places come to life. It's been an amazing trip so far.

Yesterday was my group's first "real" day of digging. (Our large team has been split into four teams, each working in a different square in two different locations. The two teams on the other side of the site had been able to start excavating earlier than us.) One of the first things our group has had to deal with is large boulders that can require anywhere from two to six people (often strong guys) to haul away. Apparently, the top of our site had been covered with debris during a war, leaving us a huge mess to clean up before we could actually start exploring the ancient ruins. These rocks are massive and quite annoying to the point that we have started naming our rocks. I'm not kidding. We actually had to have a tractor come and pull "Goliath" out of our site today - a rock that was just under 5 feet tall. I'm not joking when I say they come big.

In addition to gigantic rocks, we have been hauling away bucket after bucket of dirt and smaller rocks in wheelbarrows. We've created our own pile of dirt with a ramp so that we can keep adding to it easily. It's quite a challenge to gain enough momentum to get the wheelbarrow up on top of the pile, but hopefully it'll get better as time goes on. The other lucky group gets to throw all their dirt and rocks down the cliff, which has an amazing view...

Apart from the large rocks, piles of dirt, and sweat that never seems to leave us, archaeology is actually quite exciting. Today, in addition to small shards of pottery (which we'll apparently find a lot of), we found a couple columns, a capital (top of a column), a block with an inscription, and some walls. The other group found a wall and a lintel stone (the frame above an entrance) still in tact.

We start digging at 5:00 a.m. every morning and eat breakfast around 8:00 a.m. We end our work around noon and then head back to the kibbutz for lunch. The afternoons are free, which are sometimes spent swimming, sleeping, hanging out with friends, catching up on blogging, or whatever else people want to do. Before dinner, we have devotions (led by one of the team members). Though we haven't done it yet, pottery cleaning is also a before-dinner activity. Sleep comes soon after dinner so that we are refreshed and ready for the next day of digging. Last night, we had a lecture about the site that we are currently excavating and some of its history.

The group has been awesome to work with and we all seem to be getting along well. (That is, as long as no one judges us by how we look with dirt on our faces, clothes, and everywhere in between, I think we'll be fine. :) ) Some of us already know each other, some don't, and we're all just getting to know each other better. Dr. Schuler is our fearless leader and is there to keep us in line, teach us something new, and share the excitement of our discoveries.

It's true that archaeology is a different line of work and makes for a different lifestyle. It takes the right mentality and expectations, but can be exciting and adventuresome when those things are in place. I'm really enjoying myself here (except for maybe my sore muscles...) and am so grateful for this opportunity I'm having.

We're finally here in Israel! (Of course, it was after a delayed flight due to a mechanical error and after finding out that one of our team member's passports will expire in 5 months, which is too soon for him to fly to Israel. Thankfully, we still got to Ein Gev, the kibbutz where we're staying, in good time, and our team member was able to renew his passport and arrive here a day later).

We arrived on Friday evening and Saturday was a day of touring. The first few hours we looked around the dig site (what is known as Hippos) and Dr. Schuler gave us a description of the city Hippos, what has been excavated already, and what will still be excavated. He believes that the "city on a hill" passaged found in Matthew refers to this place. We then journeyed to various historical places around the Sea of Galilee. We visited the Mount of the Beatitudes, where the Sermon on the Mount is commemorated. We stopped by Tabgha, a re-constructed church that commemorates the feeding of the 5000. We also visited Capernaum, where the word "small" in the description "small fishing village" should really be emphasized! We went to Kursi, where the story of Jesus casting demons into a herd of pigs is remembered. 

We are staying at a kibbutz (community-like village) located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is incredible to think, especially when swimming in the sea, that Jesus actually lived and walked right in this area. While touring seemed to bring up a lot more questions and almost made it hard for me to picture Jesus' time when there are many modern additions, it certainly gave more context to those passages in Scripture and will probably help me pay more attention to those geographical references... I think being in these places that were once only names to me reminds me that Jesus was human. He actually lived, ate, walked, and talked like we did. He is not just some "spiritual being".

Today was our first day of work at the site. It consisted mostly of cleaning, clearing, and preparing for digging. We had to bring up our archaeology tools, clear an excavation area of huge rocks that had been dumped on top of our dig site, measure beginning elevations, set up tarps to keep the hot sun off of us, pull out weeds, clear walkways of dirt and rocks, and more. Though it probably doesn't represent a typical day, being on site and beginning work was really exciting for me. It's an experience I have never had and never thought I would have and I hope to learn a lot. There are a lot of historical connections both to the early Christian world and Jesus' time that can be found in these archaeological remains. In addition, simply learning about the field of archaeology is an exciting adventure. Yes, it's hot and dirty, but who minds a little dirt once in a while when there are so many positive benefits?

So, for all of you who are wondering, I actually am in Israel. I might need to pinch myself a few times to remind myself of this fact, but it's been a great experience so far. I can't wait to see what else is in store for me, and I just hope I can retain all of this information I'm learning. For now, it's time for bed because we leave for the site every morning at 5:00 a.m. to avoid working during the hottest part of the day, but I'm sure I'll have more stories as the days here continue.

Traveling to Israel is something I've wanted to do for a while and I get excited about the opportunity to experience the culture of the Middle East, see the places we read about in the Bible, and, most of all, walk where our Savior Jesus walked. I'm looking forward to the experience of the archaeology itself, the trips to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Dead Sea, life and work near the Sea of Galilee, and quality time with good friends whom I know now or will meet very soon.

I'm hoping to learn a lot - about myself, about the culture, about the Scriptures, about archaeology, and ultimately how this all fits into God's amazing plan of salvation for humankind. This blog will certainly not be able to capture every experience, every thought, or every lesson, but I hope to share something so that you can experience it along with me. Feel free to leave comments or questions!

As you are probably aware, the Middle East has been in the news quite a bit lately. While there is nothing stopping us from going now, prayers for protection would be deeply appreciated as the future is always unknown. Thanks for your support in this way.

Finally, look forward to the next post, because it will be written from Israel! :)