Blessed are the butterflies who rise above human borders
14 April 2019 Fresh off our settlement experience, we spent last week in Haifa, a port city on the slopes between Mount Carmel and the Mediterranean. Our days, organized by Oranim College, were filled with lectures, documentaries, and museum visits. That included聽a聽preview of this past Tuesday’s election, in which Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party....
Middle East: West Jerusalem, Efrat, observing Shabbat
2 April 2019 I quickly grew fond of the Abraham Hostel after arriving on Sunday afternoon. This place has created a memorable atmosphere for itself. In most of the rooms, each wall is a strikingly different color than those adjacent, and everywhere you look there are fat, slightly cryptic stenciled messages like ABRAHAM – THE....
Guatemala: A day in my life
Reflections on a day in my life in Guatemala Every morning I feel a small tug from sleep by my sister at 4 am. Phone flashlight, towels thrown, and makeup to be applied in the light of the hall. When she shuts the door to leave for her long commute, I am left to sleep....
Middle East: Old City of Jerusalem
24 March 2019 Back in Jerusalem again! After a week of relaxing free travel we returned to what has become a pretty familiar city. We spent our week staying at the Ecce Homo convent in the Old City. The convent itself commemorates and stands at the location where Pontius Pilate scourged Jesus and declared 鈥淓cce....
Middle East: Independent Travels
Independent Travel Last week was one we鈥檝e all been looking forward to for a long time: free travel! After our final exam at JUC, we split up and began a week of exploring on our own. Anisa, Carly, Emily, Erin, Rachael and I went to Turkey. We flew into Istanbul and spent a night there.....
Middle East: Field Studies with JUC
15 March, 2019 This past week was our second and final week at Jerusalem University College. After taking our first test聽Saturday morning聽and a free afternoon, we started off strong with field studies again聽Sunday morning. This past week was quite a bit different from our first week at Jerusalem University College as we spent much of....
Guatemala: Living in the moment
Imagine this: riding a boat on Lago Atitlan, a lake so blue and beautiful, you can hardly believe the toxins and pollution it contains. A lake surrounded by tall green volcanoes covered in green trees, coffee plants, colorful, touristy markets, and people鈥檚 homes. Imagine wandering the streets, sun on your face, admiring and buying the....
Middle East: Jerusalem
This week has found us transitioning to Jerusalem, our next port of call on this journey. Here, we鈥檙e staying and working with Jerusalem University College, where we鈥檙e focusing more on Biblical geography in and around the Promised Land, right here where we are. Jerusalem itself is only a few miles from Beit Sahour, about a....
Do No Harm
After reading an article titled 鈥淒o No Harm鈥� This article really struck me and pleased me at the same time. 聽I鈥檓 not exactly sure why, but I have this negative connotation towards mission groups. 聽I loved hearing [the article鈥檚 author] Dennis Smith鈥檚 sharp critique on this subject. I can鈥檛 quite pin where this judgment for....
Guatemala: To be Mayan
Mom, There are many things I鈥檝e learned about the Maya, many things I鈥檝e seen and felt and read. To be Mayan is to carry weight. Literally, Mayans carry weight all the time — baskets on their heads, bundles on their backs. But, in another sense, there is a greater more permanent weight that Mayans carry.....