Good Bye Jerusalem

Today is my final day here in Jerusalem. It is about 6:30 a.m. and I am up because I got up to watch the sunrise over the city. It was so beautiful. I am going to miss this place so much, but I also have so much to look forward to still. Next week on a Kibbutz in the Galilee, that is going to be fun.

This week we had it pretty easy. Each morning we would have some sort of guest speaker, lecture, or Hebrew class. We got to learn a lot about Judaism and how it works here in Jerusalem. Learning Hebrew was a lot of fun. The time was short, but I did learn a few things, and I can even write my name in Hebrew. It is pretty awesome.

After the morning classes, we would have the afternoon either free or to do activities that Linford assigned us. On Tuesday we went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum. We took the public bus system there, and it a very meaningful, eye opening time.

As you may have heard, on Wednesday there was a bus bombing here in Jerusalem. Someone dropped off a bomb in a bag at a bus stop across from the central bus station. The blast killed one woman and injured many others. When I heard about it I was kind of in shock. We had ridden those buses the day before, we stopped at that bus stop. It is terrifying to think what could've happened. However, everyone in our group is safe and we praise God for looking out for us. This bus bombing is the first one in Jerusalem in seven years. Our leader was just beginning to think it was safe, usually they don't let the students take the public bus system. So I just want to ask each one of you to remember Jerusalem in your prayers. Pray for the people who where injured and their families, pray for the person who set it off that he will hurt no more, pray for peace here in Jerusalem. That is my prayer everyday.

On Friday night, Shabbot, the Jewish sabboth begins at sundown. So, we had a Jewish man and his family come lead us in a typical Friday night (Shabbot) tradition. First we went down to the Western Wall, previously known as the "wailing wall" and watched all the Jews praying, and singing, and dancing, and celebrating their holy day. It was pretty cool to see. Then we went back to the place we are staying and had a Shabbot meal, with the family. There is the ritual of breaking bread and drinking grape juice and some songs and prayers. It was fun to be a part of, and really great to kind of experience what the Jewish holy day is like.

Today we leave at 1:00. We will go to church somewhere this morning, eat lunch, and be on our way. My time here is drawing to a close, and I am on the brink of a new adventure.

Blessings,
Allison