Our Last Day in Israel

The morning started out on a somber note as we took an hour to tour through Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum here in Jerusalem.  It was about as good of a field trip as a homeschool mom could hope for.  Kaleb learned much about politics, religion, prejudice and man’s inhumanity to man in just one swath through that place.  He had a lot of questions afterwards, which was a good thing.  We bought a couple books there that will hopefully extend the lesson once we are back home.  Security was tight, as it has been everywhere we’ve been here.  Soldiers, police and security cameras have invaded this land more than any enemy army, I’m sure.  (See photo below of all those female soldiers.  Nils-Petter is checking them out!)

Our next stop was supposed to be the Mt. of Olives and then we were to walk down the hill into the Garden of Gethsemane, but just as we were approaching the top of the mountain, a riot was happening.  There was a huge crowd of young men carrying on in one big street brawl and our driver was worried they would be throwing rocks and creating trouble we didn’t need to be part of.  Busses were backed up coming from the other direction.  We watched some of the crowd run away, but Gillie, our driver,  still chose to go by another path and skip that area altogether just to be safe.  He drove us right to the Garden of Gethsemane, which means “oil press” so it was obviously full of olive trees in Jesus’ day and still is to this day – many of them ancient. 

We watched the lizards scampering around among the rocky paths and garden plants and enjoyed the shade of the olive trees before taking a peek into the church that stands over the place where Jesus supposedly prayed the night before he died.  The streets around that place made it anything but peaceful as the traffic was jammed and horns were blazing.  I think Israelis think the horn is one of their gears on the car and it must be used often.

We missed our chance to see the overview of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives which was a disappointment for a few in our group and we also ran out of time to see Hezikiah’s tunnels, which was a big disappointment to Kory, but he was glad to know at least it’s now open to the public.  He was in there forty years ago only because he asked some local kids where it was, but it was in no way accessible to the general public like it is today.  Oh well, at least he saw the hotel he stayed in back in those days, so that made him happy.

We walked to the Old City and in through the Lion’s Gate of Jerusalem and then down the Via dela Rosa, the path that Jesus took on the way to his crucifixion.  It took a while to get through it all as we stopped at many of the churches that have built some form of memorial in honor of the many different aspects of that fateful day.  Some were simple, some were downright gaudy.  The one over-the-top one was of course the one where the Greeks believed was the actual spot where the cross stood.  That place was also packed but the line to get in to see the hole in the floor where they say is precisely where the cross stood, wasn’t too bad.  None of us chose to kiss the floor in some ritualistic pilgrimage, however.  Norwegians are just too practical for that kind of thing.  They even had some slab of marble made into a shrine that people were bowing down and kissing because it was supposed to be the slab where they laid Jesus after they took him down from the cross.  It’s shocking how people desire so much to be around these supposedly holy things, but miss the point of holiness altogether.  If they understood it, they certainly wouldn’t be bowing down to kiss something symbolic, even if it were the real deal.  Ugh.

Halvor gave us all kinds of information about designs of the chapels and churches, what the murals represent, who made them and what year.  That guy’s brain is better than Wikipedia and Google, combined.

Some of us women were hoping for a little time to shop in the Old City, but we had a 3:30 appointment at the “Garden Tomb” so we couldn’t linger.  I was able to pop into a few stores while Halvor was giving a lecture here or there to buy just a few quick items I spied as we stood there, but I could have used an hour just to stock up on some Christmas presents.  The prices were very cheap compared to that store in Bethlehem, but oh well.

About a hundred years ago some guy from England decided that he found the “real” “place of the skull” where Jesus hung on the cross and was buried.  So now Jerusalem has double the pleasure.  Actually, Halvor said the Garden Tomb is a category four location – total hogwash – but you can’t convince the volunteer guides otherwise.  What it is great for, however, is to show how a local garden looked and what an ancient tomb looks like that was cut into a wall.  It also provided a cool and shady spot in which to have communion and spend some time in prayer.  Those aren’t bad things at all, and the surroundings really did bring scripture more to life, so it was good in that way.

The group (minus us) went out for Kosher food tonight.  The hotel food isn’t all that great so they opted to have one last good meal in Jerusalem before we leave.  We aren’t picky and are happy to eat anything we don’t have to cook ourselves, so we didn’t mind dining alone in the dining room.

We are calling it an early night since we have a wake up call at 1:30 in order to catch our flight out at six in Tel Aviv.  Some of our group just might try to stay awake the whole time.  I guess security at the airport is brutal as they go through every little thing in all our luggage so we have to allow time for that.

All in all, it’s been an incredible trip.  There are things we all wish would have been a little different (like cooler days), but I’m pretty sure everyone was glad they came and this group was certainly an easy one to travel with.  I’m not much for group tours but I’d do it again in a heartbeat with these guys.  I hope they feel the same about us.

The Lord's Day

Kory decided it was a day of rest for him, so he slacked off on house projects today. Of course, he still wanted to eat, so it was no day of rest for me. Funny how that is. I made the best of it though and invited over one of Kaleb’s second cousins, Miriam, and her family. They have a foster son Kaleb’s age, so at least by cooking a meal, I got to spread the love around a little.




We went to Agape Church this morning. I was hoping to take Kaleb with us, but when I called him at Andre’s house he begged to stay with his friends. He said, “I feel so much closer to them now…” and that got to me, so I relented and let him stay there among his mission field. I did tell a few people at church what happened yesterday with Kaleb and they announced it from the pulpit. Applause and shouts of Hallelujah erupted from the crowd. I couldn’t have been more proud, or weepy, as all during the service I just kept thanking God for Kaleb and that He is able to use him to impact the lives of his friends.



The sermon this morning was pretty good. Pastor Mark was comparing being a charismatic Christian with being a charis-maniac Christian. He’s pretty leary of the latter, as he admits he’s a “Charismatic Christian with a seat belt on.” I thought that was a pretty funny way of describing his sense of reserve and caution when dealing with the power and might of the Holy Spirit. He’s a funny guy.



After church today Agape held their annual “grill” out at the beach. When we went last year with them, Kory brought his big BBQ and everyone laughed at him being so American, since Norwegians just use their little lasagna pan sized “enganggrill” (one time grill) to cook their hot dogs. Well, apparently Kory sparked someone’s imagination and this year one guy brought his big American sized bar-b-quer off his back porch and cooked hot dogs to sell to those who didn’t bring a grill. When he saw Kory, he nodded and said, “Now it’s my turn to bring the grill…:” and they both laughed. I thought it was funny that Kory had such an influence. Who knows what the future holds for beach parties in Norway now.



We had picked up Kaleb and his friends Andre and Toban to go with us for a few hours to the beach because it was such a spectacularly beautiful day (see photo of Kaleb and pals). The boys entertained themselves by throwing Kaleb’s crocs in the river that feeds into the fjord, then waiting for the incoming tide to get the shoe close enough to grab it while leaning out over the rocks. I was sure one of them would fall in, but it never happened and it kept them busy for a good long time. It just warms my heart to see him pal around with a couple of kids, doing what kids do.



Kaleb wasn’t the least bit happy about having to leave Andre’s house this afternoon, then not the least bit happy about leaving the park to come home. He begged incessantly to be able to continue playing with those boys, so I called their parents and they all agreed to let them come to our house for the rest of the day. They were unexpected company for dinner, but fortunately I had enough food to feed them, as well as Miriam and her family. Four boys running around for several hours was all the better.



Kaleb told me tonight that Toban is now worried about all their friends not being Christians and he thinks they should talk to everyone personally and tell them they need God in their lives. Kaleb encouraged him to start with Andre, so Kaleb left the two of them alone while Toban prayed for Andre. Kaleb told him he can’t pray wrong, it’s only talking to God, and when he prays he should “feels different.” It was pretty cute to hear him giving instructions like that. Who knows, maybe the whole school will have a revival, as many have never even heard of having a personal relationship with God – He’s just an historical figure around here. We’ve been praying for Kaleb’s school pals for over a year, so maybe this is the harvest. He’s heading back to school tomorrow for the last three weeks, so we’ll see what God has in store. Hallelujah!

Somewhat Sick Day

It was a gorgeous Saturday today in Aalesund – it must have hit the 80s. I wish I would have felt better so I could have enjoyed it all the more, but as it was, I had a raw throat, sniffles and bad cough. Oh well. I’m sure the sun did something good for me just the same.

Kory and I got to sleep in because Kaleb was on a sleepover with a friend. We enjoyed a cup of coffee out on the deck before heading off to buy groceries for the long weekend. Everything closed early today and the next two days are holy days (Pentecost), so we had to stock up. When I got back from the store, my neighbor Lizbet was waiting for me with a strawberry cheese cake she just whipped up. She said she wanted to make me a cake because she has enjoyed riding the bus with me every morning into the city and she is going to miss me. I couldn’t believe what a masterpiece it was, but then she is a profession chef, so I shouldn’t be surprised. We are saving it to take to church with us tomorrow so we can eat it at the café afterwards and share it with others. Talk about a sweetheart.

Turid had her big art exhibition today, so we went into the city for that event without Kaleb. It was more like a graduation ceremony from art school. She’s had her own artist studio for ten years, but she decided two years ago to make it official and get an art degree. She’s finally done and today was the big display of all the projects she and her classmates have been working on. I’m not prejudice or anything, but I thought Turid’s was by far the best art in the place. She’s very talented.

Without much else on the agenda today as we waited for Kaleb to get home, I decided to cut the grass (see photo of me in our yard - way in the distance). We must have two acres of lawn around where we live (well, it seems like that anyway), and the grass was getting a bit ragged looking, so sick and all, I had to cut it. Kory tried talking me out of it but I just couldn’t stand it anymore. We headed out to the country to borrow a harvesting machine from a farmer cousin, as the lawn where we live can’t be cut with a regular lawnmower because the ground is so uneven and the huge protruding rocks would kill a lawnmower blade in an instant. So I now am the proud owner of some nasty blisters on the palms of my hands from all my hard work. Kory said I should have used gloves, but I didn’t want to overheat. I even cut the grass around the bus stop Kory repainted a few weeks ago so we now have a much more beautiful neighborhood. I am so proud.

Odd dropped in tonight to chat and have a beer with Kory. He told Kory he’s been so impressed with the way we have acclimated into Norwegian culture and have made friends and joined different groups and done so much in this year. Maybe he was worried we’d just be hanging out at his house the whole time, I’m not sure, but it was funny he would make that observation. I feel like we haven’t done enough or met enough people or joined enough things… but I did that on purpose because we had so many adjustments when we first came here. If we stayed another year we would really be on a roll. Odd thinks we should. He says Tante Ruth won’t be in our condo long because she needs so much care now. Ruth’s two sisters were helping her a lot, but with Tante Kari in the rehabilitation center recovering from her broken hip, she can’t help Ruth even when she gets home next week. Tante Aslaug has said she’s getting tired of being the sole caregiver and next week she’s taking a vacation to go see her son in southern Norway. That will leave Tante Ruth high and dry and I’m not sure what will happen to her. I know we’ll need to look in on her more, but that won’t be the solution she needs. When we were there for 17th of May, she didn’t even see Kaleb in the room. She is totally blind in one eye and losing sight in the other one quickly. Her blindness will become more of a problem for her than her cancer. But I set out a “fleece” for God and said if our condo is vacated by June 1st then we will apply to stay in Norway another year. It doesn’t look that will happen, but it may happen shortly thereafter. But a fleece is a fleece and we won’t stay if things don’t happen just as we asked. Odd wants us to go home, take care of business, and get right back here in October so Kaleb can go to school for another year. I think Odd is going through withdrawals already because he’s a little worried his bedroom won’t get completed before Kory leaves the country. But the good news is, we’ll be back. We’ll always be back. Knowing that makes leaving a little easier for us, too. (It’s now less than four weeks until we have to move out of our house!)