Welcome BBQ

Tonight we had a welcome BBQ for all the students of JUC this semester. It was a fun time to get everyone together outside of class and field studies to just enjoy some time of fellowship. Also today I finally got to see what all of my classes are and I am really looking forward to this semester. Today was Archeology of Jerusalem and The History of the Holy Land from the Rise of Islam till 1948, when Israel became an independent country. My other three classes are The History of Ancient Israel, the History of Ancient Egypt, and Physical Settings of the Bible. I expect to learn a lot and be stretched in many areas. Most of our teachers are Jewish, either religious or secular and they have a different view on faith but do not force their opinions on anyone else. But it has been interesting to see the differences in how they view some of the events of the past and how they relate to religion.

I can not really believe that I have been here for a week already. Sometimes it feels like it has been more than a week with all I have seen and experienced, and at other times it is strange to think that I am here at all. This is truly a dream come true to be walking streets that have been in place for over two thousand years; to walk through tunnels that were dug in the time before the Babylonian captivity; and to stand on the ground where our Lord and Savior was crucified and buried. I often find myself just standing in one spot being caught up in thinking about the history and the presence of where I am. I pray that you all can come and experience this City and be part of the history that it holds someday.