#7-Check, check.....check 1,2,3...

This is a test

test...test...

Shalom people...

so I am testing out a video editing software, and I wanted to see how it looks online.
Let me know if the video jumps and skips around and what not....any problems while playing it let me know (unless your computer just stinks...then it is not my video. Its your stinking computer.)



That being said.

Update:

-So. I started my first class today. It was my History of Ancient Egypt in the Biblical world. I will definitely be talking about this one sometime....

-The internet here at JUC really is just terrible. Just letting you know.

-Turns out my Archeology of Jerusalem course is being taught by Dr.Gabriel Barkay. He is a world renown archeologist and is on NatGeo (National Geographic's TV program) a lot....he is best known for the discovery of the High Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 written on silver plaques. To this day it is the oldest Biblical inscription ever found....dating back to 600BC. Read about it Here.

Crazy. I am so excited to study under this guy...however, I have been told by very reliable sources (uh...the Executive Director of JUC) that this is probably the hardest class you can take, because Dr.Barkay teaches European style...which means he basically talks, you basically listen, and everything he says is a go on the test (and there is only 1 test)....except you have to find the information on your own in the library....because he wont tell you.

So that will be very interesting.

-I start Hebrew tomorrow, along with a class that I am auditing: "rabbinical thought and literature" This is being taught by an Orthodox Hasidic Jew, so its going to be good. I am excited.

-I am hoping to have a real video up soon....give me some feed back on the quality of this one from your computers end....
thanks.

-I am going to start a "Song of the day". I know....I know it is totally cliche, but hey...I like music....so there.

Therefor, the song of the day today is: "Bad" by U2 Why? Because why shouldn't it be? You tell me why it shouldn't be...

-Me


Shalom!

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#6-ISRAEL

I am here! My flight got to Tel Aviv safely and i just finished eating dinner at my school. It has been a long day....considering that I have been moving through the air at 500+ MPH for the past 10 hours....

This place is amazing....I don't think I realized how much I have been wanting to come back here until I got out of the airport. I am so excited for the next 9 months!

So this is interesting.....
I ordered my airline tickets really late....about a month ago.
I selected my seating literally last week, and when I did so, there were only about 4 seats left to choose from. So I just chose one towards the back of the plane.

Turns out, the guy I sat next to on the airplane from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv is now my roommate.
Go God. I thought it was bizarre.
I have 3 rommates...Guillermo, Jonathan, and Daniel.
There nice...so OK.

The campus is very nice....there are flowers all over the place....

I think the only down side to everything is this:

This school does not think the same I way that I do.
Shabbat is looked at as a cultural experience.
I still do not know nor do I think that the school keeps Kosher....

these are things that I have a hard enough time dealing with in the states (Why would I expect Northwestern College to keep Kosher?)....but here? I feel kinda disappointed.

but oh well...it just means I am going to have a very interesting experience here.


I should have some video coming soon...not sure when. Still messing around with what I got's to shoot....


Here is a great picture of the Valley of Hinnom, right outside the backyard of JUC...I just took this picture as the sun is setting for Shabbat to begin!








Shalom! Or in todays case Shabbat Shalom!

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#5-The Exodus

Today is the day! I leave for Israel in about 6 hours!
My school books just arrived from UPS about 3 seconds ago....now I have to stuff them in my bags that are already bursting at the seams.....fun.

In less than 24 hours I will be in Jerusalem. I land in Tel Aviv at about 3 PM tomorrow afternoon, then I have to find my way to Jerusalem.


This is going to be interesting.



Shalom!

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#4-3

I leave in three days.


Crazy.

I am so sorry to all of you peoples out there who read my blog. I know I have only posted about 3 blogs since this all started, but I have been so busy....I have typed and re-typed my next blog post about 4 times now in the past month, and each time they have not had a good outcome as to what I wanted to say.

So, it has been awhile sine I have last posted a blog.
I have one typed up, but i decided to save for the future.

But anywho....quick update:

I leave in three days.
I got my airline tickets.
I managed (by God's amazingness) to get all of the finances I needed for this...amazing. Lots of very awesome people helped me out in a huge way. Thank you all!I seriously do not know what I would do if it was not for your support!
I have my cameras....my father gave me a HD video camera, which is perfect for the purposes of this blog. I also got a digital camera for picture purposes. My goal is to take hundreds of pictures of things in Israel to aid myself and others I know in teaching. I also may make a calender that mixes the Hebrew and Gregorian Calenders together.

Don't know. The outcome for these photos I will be taking will come along with whatever God wants. I just know I am supposed to take pictures.
Lots of pictures.
And high quality ones too.

So that has all worked out very well.
I am pretty much all set to go...cept for one thing.


And one major thing:

My visa.
I do not have one yet.
Supposedly, this could cause problems in me entering the country....but I wont know until I get there.

All I know is, things have worked out the way they have, and if I am truly supposed to go to Israel....God will not let Israeli Customs prevent me from going.

Friday night I received and email from JUC outlining what may happen if I do not have a visa.
I really kinda freaked out....it was disturbing.
However, it was Sabbath and I was really trying to ignore worrying about it. Anywho, someone at Sar Shalom on Saturday came up to me and said they felt like God told them to read these verses to me:

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
(Joshua 1:1-9)

It was so amazing. I felt at complete peace over my trip to Israel.
I just know everything is going to work out the way it is meant to....everything has so far.

Thanks again everyone for everything.

My blog should get a lot more interesting once I get to Israel.
Videos and photos coming soon!

-Me







Shalom!

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