Shalom #13

Succot/Sukkot is the Jewish festival which commemorates the wandering of the Jews in the wilderness after their Exodus from the hands of the Egyptians, when they had to dwell in makeshift booths or huts.  (Leviticus: Chapter 23:24). It is called the Feast of Tabernacles. It occurs in late September or early October and lasts one week.   It is also a joyous festival that commemorates the final gathering of the harvest and it's the time of the year in which God judges the world for the granting of rain.  The Jews build booths of wood and branches either inthe back yard, the garden or as an attachment to the house.  If they live in an apartment they might turn their balcony into a booth. They are instructed to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep in these huts.  They also pray and read the Torah specially the Hallel which is Psalm 113 - 118.

Since the time of Christ this has been one of the 3 annual pilgrimages to the Temple.  Even today, the Jews make the pilgrimage from all over the world to come and  march throughout Jerusalem to holy sites like the Western Wall and Mt. Hertzel (where some believe the New Temple will be built).  Anciently,  the priest would walk from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam with a gold pitcher, fill it and then walk back to the Temple and with great ceremony pour it on the holy alter symbolically representing God's gift of rain or salvation. And as was done anciently, they carry branches of olive trees, pine trees, myrtles and palms with a citron (citrus).

Early on Monday, Oct 20 we walked with some of the students and arrived at the courtyard of the Western Wall by 6:30 a.m. to watch the prayers and celebrations which bring an end to the celebration of  Sukkot. 

Prayers during Sukkot include the reading of the Torah frequently throughout each day.

Jewish men crowded together and chant their prayers which includes raising their palms, and other tree branches and citrus.

This is Citron (In this case - a lemon). This fellow who is showing us his lemon explained that to purchase a blemish free citron to be used for the Sukkot ceremony can cost between $300-500  but every 7th year is a special year when the Jews can buy blemish free for much cheaper.  He payed around $5 because it had blemishes. We told him he needed to visit Arizona where we could find some really great lemons and they would be so much cheaper!

 This is just one of the variety of  hats that Jewish men wear in Jerusalem.   Dad wanted to take a picture of that good lookin' blonde in back ground.  
Behind us you can see the large plaza at the Wailing Wall.  The huge crowd of pilgrims are praying, chanting, reading the Torah, singing and dancing and waving the Lulav which consist of the 4 species: 3 branches from different trees (eg. palm, myrtle,  pine) and  the citron.  Men and women are kept separated at the Wailling Wall by a fence.  In the courtyard, they can mingle.

Dad moved right into the crowd to get these pictures.  In the first film clip if you listen carefully you can hear them chanting the words Hosanna....which is closely akin to what we do in giving the Hosanna Shout today in our dedicatory prayers for our new Temples.  They are raising their Lulav (branches/citrus), we wave a white handkerchief.

Understanding the Jewish traditions or holidays helps to increase your understanding of the scriptures.  Read John chapter 7.  All ceremonies praise Jehovah, God of the Old Testament.

How grateful we are for latter-day revelation and the knowledge we have that Jehovah of the Old Testament is that same Jesus Christ of the New Testament!

Shalom #12

The student service committee wanted an activity that would do something to help the community around the Jerusalem Center.  They decided that cleaning up the area around the center and also the street and neighborhood would be a good thing to do. 80 students and several adults (Dad & I) armed with plastic gloves, a few shovels, rakes, brooms headed down to the road below the center with the hopes  that some of the neighborhood  children would turn out from the  community.   We were ready for several hours of hard work and hoped they would be joining us.  Fortunately for all involved the weather has started to cool.    

As the children came from several streets around the center the students invited them to join in picking up trash, carry broken items laying on the streets, sweeping and raking the leaves, etc.  It was so fun to watch the students interact with the children especially those who have been taking  Arabic classes.  We all felt gratitude for the opportunity to spend a small amount of time and energy helping our neighbors of the Palestinian village of Es-Suwana (which means bedrock) and hopefully let the children feel pride in their community.   When the project was finished we had sack lunches for 100 children and by all accounts  we had close to that come and participate.  The Jerusalem Center is enclosed by a high rock wall and has very tight security.  When the gates were opened and the children were invited to eat their sack lunches and roll down the green grass hills you would have thought they had entered Disneyland .  No one has any grass on their properties let alone a nice hill to roll down.  The Palestinian  community leaders seems to be pleased with what was accomplished for them and know that the students left good feelings for their friendly, happy ways with the children.

We enjoyed helping .
Hopefully my kids will remember on of my favorite says,"Many hands make light work!" which in this case was true.
After several hours of digging, shoveling and bagging trash that was in this one area, they decided to build this little wall with the rocks laying around.  They were so proud of themselves when this project was done.  They had such great attitudes and were so cute to the little children that came to help them.

Shalom #11

On a beautiful,  fall afternoon we gathered in the lovely Biblical gardens of the Jerusalem Center for a demonstration and then to participate in the crushing and pressing of the olives.  A few days earlier the students had spent an afternoon harvesting the olives from the trees around the center for this activity.  The students were very grateful for this opportunity as the olives are only harvested in the fall.  The winter and summer semester students only get to "hear" about this activity.  Before we started, we attended a very informative class given by

Dr. Andrew Skinner who explained the "Ultimate Symbolism of Olive Trees and Oil Production."  The following remarks come from his lecture.

"We know all things testify of the Savior.  But this is nowhere better demonstrated than with olives and the process of olive oil production.  The olive tree and its products, especially olive oil, are the great symbols of Jesus Christ and His atonement." 

This is the millstone which is used to crush the olives.  In ancient days it was either pulled by beast or pushed by man.  We all had a turn pushing.  Notice the size of the millstone...this gives a new perspective to the scripture in Matt 18:6..."But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
Harvested olives.  "Just as olives are one of the seven common native fruits indigenous to this Holy Land (Dt. 8:8), so too Jesus as a native of this land, thought to be a commoner, but the Special One who worked out the infinite atonement amidst other common folks of this land.  As Isaiah said of the people's attitude toward the Savior, "We esteemed him not" (Is. 53:3).
"Just as olives should be picked individually so as not to damage the tree, so too Christ' love is individual.  (If you"strip" the branches, or beat the tree to harvest the fruit faster you damage the tree.)
This is the crushing part of the step.  We took turns turning the mill-stone. 
It becomes a mush which is then put into woven baskets which are stacked into position under one of two additional types of presses.
Allen's team  pushing the heavy log around that helps crush the olives.....
We have gathered the mash and put it into this woven basket.  It's ready for the press.  This darling student is Heidi Hatch.  We call her our "cousin".  Her family is from Northern Az.  
In order to extract even more oil from the mash, the filled baskets are stacked into position under one of two additional types of presses.  This type of press is known as the "screw press" and was used in the late Hellenistic Period (1st century B.C.) Grandpa is using his strength to press out the oil from the stacked woven baskets.
"Just as olives were harvested, broken and crushed, and the oil of the olives was pressed out under intense pressures in the place called "the oil press," so too the goodness and perfection of Jesus' life was "harvested" in Gethsemane, where he was crushed and His life-blood was pressed out  by extreme pressure in the garden of the "oil press".  Just as the pressure on the olives under the press becomes more intense with each passing second, and thus the olives exude more of their oils as more pressure is applied, so too the pressure on the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane became more intense over time and put him under greater and greater strain (Lu. 22:39-44)." 

The oil is collected in these holding pots and allowed to sit for several days where the oil separates from the dregs and then is collected for use.  

"Just as the finished product of the olive-pressing process yields the purest and brightest burning of the vegetable oils, so too the pressing process in Gethsemane involved the purest and brightest of the Father's children. 

Olive oil was used in the temple in ancient times and in our Temple's today for anointing.  In ancient times, Israel anointed her prophets, priests, and kings with olive oil.  This was done as a type and foreshadowing of the Anointed One (Hebrew "Messiah") who was also the true Prophet, Priest, and King of all eternity.

It is not by accident that we anoint with olive oil those seeking a blessing.  Olives trees are not ordinary.  They are extraordinary in an extraordinary land.  They and the oil derived from them are the most powerful and plentiful symbols of Jesus Christ and his atonement.  He is the master healer, born into a land with abundant reminders of His divinity and His greatest power."

What more can be said.  We are grateful for these opportunities that allow us to understand our Savior and Redeemer and His great atoning Sacrifice for each of us.

Shalom #10

SUNRISE FROM THE TOP OF MT. SINAI

We started our final day in Egypt before the break of dawn so that we could begin our hike up the Sinai Mountain.  We had knocks on our bedroom doors at 1:30 a.m. so we could meet at the bus by 2:00 a.m.  After a prayer and song we had a short bus ride to the base of the Mountain. Prepared with flashlights, hats, bottled water and some of us with hiking sticks, we started our hike up a winding, rocky path in the dark of the night.  3 1/2 hours later the ole' folks made it up to the top in time for the sunrise. It's hard to describe the feelings we all had as we looked out over this magnificent view.  Once everyone had arrived we gathered and remembered our great Prophet Moses who received the 10 Commandments in this spot and then began to sing hymns of praise to our Almighty Father in Heaven for His amazing creations. There were other hikers who had made this trek in the middle of the night and were singing and praying in their own ways but when our group of over 90 started to sing the hymns in beautiful harmony many gathered around and took pictures and joined in with us on "How Great Thou Art." There was hardly a dry eye when we finished.   It was also a special moment for 2 of our students who had come on the program good friends but became engaged up there on the Mountain.
 Very tired but so grateful to have made it to the top!
We are in this group of students who were resting before the hike back down.
Grateful to be together in this holy, sacred place 
Seeing in daylight the path of this rugged, barren mountain we had come up in the DARK made us realize what we had accomplished...and so grateful for the privilege to be where Moses received the 10 Commandments. 

Thankfully, we were able to all make it down safely and as we boarded the buses for a long trip back to Jerusalem there were smiles on the faces of our tired students and faculty as we reminisced about our amazing experiences.  It was late in the evening when we arrived back to the Jerusalem Center and we were all thankful to be safely back.  From all accounts this was one of the healthier groups of students.  We give prayers, the students following good advice on eating and drinking safely and a little bit cooler weather (it was still pretty hot) the credit!   

It's funny though, the next day Dad had to suture a girls heel,  take care of a fellow with a bad sprained ankle and he has had students with sore throats and coughs coming by our apartment.  

Shalom #9

While in Luxor, Egypt we were able to have several modes of transportation. The tour included a plane ride from Cairo to Luxor, a Flukah ride (which are small transport boats up and down the Nile), horse drawn carriage rides, the "famous" Camel ride and when our time was over in Luxor we took the famous Luxor Train back to Cairo. So the Sheraton Hotel had a boat dock that we could take the Flukah boat ride to the Karnak Temple. After a several hour tour, we then rode the horse drawn carriages to our hotel. It was in the afternoon that we took the Flukah boats over to the other side of the Nile to have our camel ride.
We are waiting our turn to be loaded on to the camel's for a ride in the country side....

So I've made it up on the camel and I have an 8 yr old boy ....Maqmoud...who is my camel master? He was a cute young boy like any of our grandchildren that age. He knew his business about the animals. We were pretty much kept in a straight line but it as safer that way.

I learned a lot about camels. They have a long life expectancy, don't need water that many times a week and it is a very uncomfortable ride.
So the summer students came back so excited about their camel rides and said"Bro.&Sis.Allen you have to ride the camels!" So we have been looking forward to it, unfortunately by the time they got to Bob...the only thing that was left was this ole' plug of a horse. We laughed so hard at the situation .....but here Dad is riding his "horse".

This is one of the "streets" that is part of this little community that we rode through. Typically, the little children ran out to greet us and asked us if we had any candy. The mothers were more shy and often stayed behind their doors. It was a great experience seeing into their homes and their standard of living.

This is a picture of Andy Skinner upon his dandy steed....ready for the trip through the country side and village.

We headed back to Cairo late in the afternoon via the Luxor Train.  What an experience that was.  We had our own sleeping compartment.  Now have you ever heard or read of the Orient Express?  We decided this must be Egypt's version.  Needless to say, it was quite a night.  When we arrive at our hotel early the next morning, our director informed us that we would be holding church in the restaurant after breakfast which meant we came as we were from the night on the train.  We did not have time to clean our selves up but as we gathered together and started singing our hymns and had a prayer the Spirit came into that room and we could feel the scriptures being fulfilled, "Where two or more are gathered in My name".  Dad had assigned several speakers and a special musical number prior to leaving.  As the Sacrament was being  prepared and blessed, there were tears of gratitude for the blessings of being members of the Church of Jesus Christ.  We were all grateful for that sacred opportunity.  The talks were well prepared and uplifting and the girls sounded like angels as they sang their song

 a cappella.    It was one of the highlights of our trip to have our Sacrament Meeting in the restaurant of our Cairo hotel.  

Shalom #8

After several days in Cairo we took a short air flight to Luxor (or Thebes), Egypt which is a very ancient, beautiful, CLEAN city along the Nile river with several amazing Temple sites. The Karnak Temple was so impressive as was the Luxor Temple. Karnak is the largest temple complex in the world. The oldest parts of the Karnak Temple date back to the Middle Kingdom (2040-1700 BC).

This was a statue of Ramses II. Look at the size of the statue compared to the people looking at it from a balcony.
Another perspective of the statue of Ramses II. If Ramses II was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, it is likely that Moses spent much of his life in Thebes (Luxor).

Cornstalks along the highway. Seeing these reminded us of the Old Testament stories of Joseph and his dream about his brothers bowing down to him? It is incredible what water does for a area. All along the Nile delta was this fertile valley with all types of vegetation growing...

When the Valley of the Kings was discovered what treasures were uncovered. In 1922 an archaeologist named Howard Carter discovered King Tut's tomb intact with all the jewelry and other objects. All the other tombs in the Valley had been robbed of their precious jewels and gold....probably by the artisans who were the builders of the tombs. They knew the secret hiding places and tunnels and what valuables the Pharaohs were buried with.

Shalom #7

EGYPT: After a short ride we arrived at the border where we crossed and were met by a new bus, tour guides, and security personnel. Each bus had their own tour guide and 2 security men. It took most of the day to drive to Cairo. We arrived in Cairo around sunset just in time to see the great Pyramids of Giza off in the distance. When Dad pointed them out to the students sitting around us, there was a great shout of excitement on our bus and the cameras started clicking away. We enjoyed watching them and seeing their reactions.

We couldn't pass up an opportunity to say HI from Egypt!

The pyramids of Giza were built as part of the magnificent tomb complexes for three pharaohs: Kufu, Khafre, and Menkaure during the Fourth Dynasty (26th-25th centuries BC). The Giza pyramids sit on the eastern edge of the Nile Valley. The oldest and largest is Khufu which originally stood 481' high. It has an estimated 2,300,000 limestone blocks each weighing an average of 5,000 pounds. Many scholars still debate how the pyramids were constructed and how blocks were transported into place. Many suggest a combination of ramps and pulleys.
The Sphinx was carved out of a single mass of rock. It is sculpted after the body of a lion and the head of Khafre.
Dad is trying to show how there was no seam in the rock....they actually carved a corner out of this magnificent granite!

This gives you a good perspective of the size of these stones which were carved and some how put into place. L to R: Keith Wilson, Linda Wilson, Janet Skinner, Andrew Skinner, Sue & Bob

The tombs are open for people to go inside. What an experience that was. Small, narrow passage way which took you down into the depths of the tomb. It was dark, humid, hot and crowded. One could easily get a panic attack which I almost had. Did that once....don't need to do it again. Everyone needs that experience once in their lives.

Another great day!

Shalom #6

Early Sunday morning, September 21, (our Sabbath in Israel is on Saturday), we boarded our 2 buses with 81 students, 4 professors and wives, 1 security personnel and his wife and Doctor Dad & I for an 8 day trip to Egypt. This is one of the highlights of the semester in Jerusalem for the students. Much planning and preparation by the faculty goes into an excursion such as this. Dad also spent much time preparing for the trip. During a planning session, he dressed as a tourist--hat, flashing his camera, sunscreen (not rubbed in all the way) as he talked about the importance of eating and drinking safely along with other hazards while traveling in third world countries. He had selected 4 students who had some medical background--2 guys and 2 girls--to be a part of his medical team. They were called the 'Bus Docs'. With his supervision and in anticipation of any type of problem, they prepared medical bags which included medicines, bandages, wraps, etc. for each bus, even a suture kit. Each bus had their team of 2 medical personnel--a guy and a girl. Their responsibility was to carry with them at all times a medical bag in case there was an emergency on any part of the tour and of course to give reports to Dr. Allen. He was available at a moments notice on any issue. The great news is that we had no major injuries, illnesses, or accidents--which is a testimony of prayers offered each morning before we started our day. The Old Testament is the religion class they are taking the first part of the term. The sites chosen to visit are part of what they are studying.
Our first stop was Beersheba. It's on the northern fringe of Israel's Negev desert. The first historical reference to Beersheba is found in Genesis 21, where Abraham is credited with giving the site its name. Abraham had dug a well ...(which by the way a team of archaeologist actually discovered) which was 200 ft deep.

Water was so important to these desert people. These steps took us down to a large Cistern for water storage.
Behind me is the Wilderness of Zin. Seeing this wilderness underscores the harsh reality of Israel's 40 years in the wilderness. I can understand the murmurings of the children of Israel to Moses after seeing this area. The Lord was so merciful and kind to provide a cloud by day and fire by night. The temperatures easily reach the 120 in the summer. No shade of any kind, anywhere. What a desolate place. Behind me off in the distance is what they call a Wadi - which means a dry river bed. You can see areas all throughout the landscape around Jerusalem where the term Wadi is used to name a location or town.
Avdat is a city founded in 3rd century BC. It was a stopping point along the incense and spices route originating in the Arabian Peninsula and the Far East to a Mediterranean port where these precious items would be shipped to the European continent.
We decided this was the original McDonald arches...dating 1200 B.C.
Guys, look what we found....yes these are beautiful Ibex. Look how tame they were.
This fellow was relaxing in the shade and allowed us to get a close picture of him. This is a state park and the area which had the overlook of the Zin Wilderness where Moses travelled with the children of Israel for 40 years. They didn't have the shade like this guy did!
These Ibex were all over this lookout area.

Another look at the wilderness area. Aren't you thirsty?

This was the graves of David Ben Gurion...the first Prime Minister of Israel and his wife. Israel became a state on May 14, 1948. These are how they bury their dead....above ground. They do NOT embalm the body which is why they must bury their dead within 24 hours. There is a small hole in the top side of the vault which lets in the air to help quicken the decomposition of the body. I am putting ROCKS on the tomb as a sign of respect. Because the flowers are scarce in the desert this is their tradition. Hey it's cheap and they don't wilt in the sun!

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at Kibbutz Yotavata. We had a bus tour of the Kibbutz and learned much about the philosophy surrounding their beginnings and existence. Kibbutz' started in the early 1900's as a socialist ideology. It is a voluntary socialist organization set up for equality and unity. There is no private ownership of anything...all things are owned by the community. This particular one started in the late 1950's. It is a totally self-sufficient community raising all their food, dairy, etc. Being religious is not a prerequisite for being a member of one. Although most are of Jewish heritage, they are not Orthodox. All adults help with the cause and the children including newborns, are put into daycare or school, while the parents work. There is basically no family life as we understand it. There is no one specific job to do. One day a person might milk cows and the next day he would dig ditches for the water line and the next day work as a cook in the central kitchen. The gentleman who gave us a tour had been in this Kibbutz since he was a young man. He and his wife raised 3 children there but their children when older moved out and have moved on to another way of life. He said that new ways have changed the Kibbutz and not many young people choose to stay. The main industry of this one is their Dairy. After dinner and great ice cream, we boarded our buses for Kibbutz Eliot which is at the border of Israel and Egypt. This particular Kibbutz specializes as a hotel and restaurant. It was a long day, but seeing the Bible come alive as we visited these ancient sites was amazing.