blessed beyond measure

Holidays are my favorite time of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am very excited that I will be home for Christmas in just a few weeks, but this week more than ever I have been really missing home, as this is the first year I have been away from home for Thanksgiving. 

Being in a different country for Thanksgiving has been a very new experience and makes me even more thankful on this day. I am so thankful for the IBEX staff that has taken so much time to make us feel as much at home as possible. Today they prepared a Thanksgiving feast for us and it was almost as good as mom's Thanksgiving dinners! 

This week I have been thinking about all that I have to be thankful for and these come to mind.

1. Thankful for thanksgiving - How awesome is it that our country sets aside a day to reflect and be thankful for all that we have been blessed with. Not to mention Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal of the whole year.
2. Thankful for Christ my Savior and the salvation I have in Him - Last night we were in Jerusalem and did a walk through Jesus' last night before the crucifixion. As with everything that I am learning here, it made it so real and I was able to get a taste of what He would have felt like as we walked all over the Old City, we gazed into the same heavens that He did on that night and prayed. I am thankful that God did not spare His only Son, but sent Him to save His children.
3. Thankful for my family - It is true that distance makes the heart grow fonder, I realize what a huge blessing each and every member of my family is. The older I get I realize how wise my parents really are, how much my sister is my best friend, and that things just are not complete with the best brothers a girl could ask for! They have shaped the person I am today and I cannot wait to be with them again soon!
4. Thankful for the body of believers - Today I was not able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my biological family, but I had the blessing of celebrating with my family in Christ, the body of Christ. I am thankful that God has given me such tight knit relationships with people I have only known a few months.
5. Thankful for the amazing experience of IBEX - I knew that coming to Israel for a semester would change my life in many ways, but it has greatly exceeded my expectations! I am thankful that this opportunity has been opened to me and I have experienced the land first hand, been challenged in my faith and knowledge, and made amazing friendships with 32 great classmates and staff.

As I have been missing home I have found encouragement in these words from Elisabeth Elliot:

              "Be still and know that He is God. Remember that you are not alone. Give thanks." 

              "Wherever you are, be all there, live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." 

              "Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living."

I have been reminded that God has placed me here until December 11th and He has a perfect plan for this time that I have left here! 

I pray you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Israel!

            "I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High." Psalm 7:17

beginning of the end

With just 20 days left in Israel, I wanted to fill you all in on my wanderings these past couple of weeks!

We took a four day trip to the southern part of Israel called the Negev. This trip was about 40% educational and 80% fun! Going on trips with the group is much different than just going to class with them. I am so thankful for each person on this trip and love the time that we have together, learning and exploring.

Highlights of this trip:

• Many hikes
• Overlooking and driving through Machtesh Ramon, which is a canyon eroded by water
• Sitting in silence for 45 minutes in the wilderness that the Israelite's wandered in for 40 years. Reading over Numbers 13 & 14 and Deuteronomy 8, thinking on the Lords goodness and unending faithfulness.   

                    "And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Deut. 8:3

• Snorkeling in the Red Sea
• Seeing a life size model of the tabernacle
• Hiking to the top of Masada to see the sun rise
• Going to the cave that 7 of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in

Ain Avdat (one of our many hikes)

Red Canyon (another hike)

Tabernacle Model

Timnah Park

Sunrise from top of Masada

Masada

This past week I and five of my friends went to Greece for our travel study break. It was amazing to say the least! We had 10 days to do whatever we wanted and we started our trip in Athens. We arrived on Friday morning and stayed in Athens until Tuesday night. We took a ferry on Tuesday night to the beautiful Island of Santorini, and spent 3 days here before returning to Athens to fly back to Israel. Over the course of our trip we used just about every form of transportation available to us. Planes, trains, automobiles, feet, 4-wheelers, buses, taxis and almost rode a donkey up the side of the caldera. Our trip could not have gone better and I feel that I have so much to be thankful for. The weather was just about perfect, I even enjoyed the rain on the first day. We made it safely through airports and subway stations. Most importantly I am thankful for the group I was able to experience this with. Courtney put in lots of time researching Greece and with the help of our Greece "bible", we were able to experience Athens to its fullest. Nicole taught us about each historical site. And Brooke, Brooke and Lynlee each added to the trip, whether it was keeping us laughing or getting us great deals on meals and souvenirs.

My favorite day in Athens was spend exploring all of the historical sites throughout the city. We went to the Acropolis, Ancient & Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library, the Olympic Stadium, and the Ancient Temple to Zeus. The architecture here is really impressive and I can only imagine what it was like in its full glory. Athens is a really unique city and much different from Israel.

My favorite day in Santorini was spend exploring the whole island on 4-wheelers. We went to Cafe Crapes for breakfast and had the most delicious crapes. After this we rented 4-wheelers and headed to the southern most part of the island. Along the way we saw a black sand beach and ended at the island's lighthouse. On our way back up to the northern part of the island we stopped at a red sand beach and drove past the white sand beaches. It is crazy how diverse this small piece of land is! The east side of the island is flat beaches and the west side is steep cliffs dropping into the ocean. We watched the sun set from the northern most city of Oia, were we found white buildings lining the side of the cliff and the blue roofs that Santorini is known for. 

Other highlights of the trip:

• Exploring the different neighborhoods of Athens
• Eating lunch on Mars Hill, where Paul preached to Athens
• Learning Greek culture and watching the people
• Enjoying the company of 5 great friends
• Day trip to Corinth
• Gelato, Gyros and Tzatziki
• Stray dogs that became our guard dogs

Ancient Corinth and Acro Corinth on the hill

Ancient Agora and Acropolis

Parthenon

Zeus Temple and Olympic Stadium

Mars Hill, where Paul preached from

Oia, Santorini

Sunset from Oia

Beach on Santorini

Looking at Fira, Santorini from the southern end of the Island

Our hotel and a view of Fira, Santorini

When we are not off exploring the desert or other countries, they keep us very busy attending class, writing papers and reading. I am finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with all of the homework and am so glad!

Some of the pictures I have been posting are from my sweet and talented roommates, this week and this semester! I am so blessed by these girls!

Thank you all for your prayers and I am wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!