The End

Well, I feel badly that I have not written in such a long time. I don't know if anyone is still reading this or not, but for those of you who faithfully continue to check for updates, this goes out to you =)

My trip was cut short by two weeks. I came home last Friday, the 26th, on a direct flight from the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv to the Philadelphia International Airport. It was a really smooth 12 hour flight, and I was able to get 6-7 hours of sleep. My bag was lost in the airport and I needed to report it once I realized it was missing. I honestly felt like I was going crazy .... because that had never happened to me before. Maybe I was tired, but it was inconceivable to me that it could have been lost on a direct flight. The next day as I walked into the house, our neighbor children came running over and said "Hey Jess! Some man came and put a suitcase in your shed! Hahahaha!" I felt so relieved!

I was disappointed to leave early, but at the same time, the program was not what I had been expecting in terms of ministry opportunity. Nonetheless I had an incredible experience. My favorite part by far was being able to get my bearings almost anywhere in Jerusalem. Also, mastering public transportation was quite a feat. Well, not exactly mastering, but being capable of getting from one major city to another. I was able to go to the CBS (central bus station) by smaller bus and navigate my way to my mom's friends in Haifa. It was a highlight of my trip. It made me feel so independent, being in a country so far from home and not speaking the language and yet getting where I needed to go with ease. Israel has a really awesome public transportation system. You can basically get a round trip ticket to and from any given city for an insanely cheap price and be at the opposite end of the country in less than 8 hours.

All in all, I would totally go back and do the entire trip over again. I absorbed a lot of Israeli culture, even from a distance, learned a lot about myself, made great friends, and grew in my understanding on multiple levels: faith, prophesy & how strong the pull of the world is. I've come to the realization that at times, life is crazy and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. You have to accept your circumstances and rise to the occasion. Do the best you can, and don't look back.

Psalm 73:

²¹ Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
²² I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
²³ Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
²⁴ You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.

Haifa!

Haifa is a coastal city located in northern Israel. My mom has friends who lives there and I'm taking a 2.5 hour bus ride to visit them for the weekend. I promise to take tons of pictures! I am looking forward to seeing a part of Israel that I have never had the chance to see thus far. It will be nice to have a change of scenery for a few days.

I should be back late Sunday if all goes well!

I'll post of my adventure as soon as possible.

xoxo

Cleaning Day . . .

Well, I wish I would have had something super awesome to share about yesterday, but finding motivation to write about everyday activities is a bit challenging. I went to service in the morning (as I always do. Thats a given) and afterwards walked around the city center with everyone. We celebrated Tristan and Cheryl's engagement with some amazing Thai food. Mmmmm mmmm was it good (but when is the food here not good..?!). After lunch we went to the Coffee Bean for some decadent cheesecake that was out of this world. I talked to my family last night and they said I seem enamored by the vast amounts of food I have tried here. Honestly, I'm not. We just eat out so often and there are so many good restaurants around that a lot of my time (and finances haha) have been invested into divulging into the local cuisine. Because of this I share my experiences with you.

Today, like the caption says, is "cleaning day." I'm not sure why... Because we clean everyday. I guess we go all out today and dedicate this day to nothing else. Regardless, I'll try to do something interesting if I have the opportunity and post later on. :]