Another Day in Israel

     A man on the bus was having a conversation quite loudly on his phone and then excused himself. A little later he came up and spoke to our tour guide.
     "For what it's worth, that was my cousin. They've had rockets in Tel Aviv. It's all over the news."

     Our tour guide nodded and shrugged it off. The Israeli guide asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
     Our American tour guide replied, "I guess." His demeanor did not demonstrate a desire to talk about it though.
     A few moments later suggested "maybe after..." something I couldn't hear. Our American tour guide agreed.

     I put my arm around my mom. She leaned her head into my shoulder and told me she loves me.
     "I love you too, Mom," I replied.

-Rockets Attack: Nitzamin, Netivot, Beit Hilkia

     As we were walking around Gezer viewing the ruins and hearing its history, we heard what sounded like planes in the sky that lasted for several minutes. With no clouds on a clear day, nothing could be seen flying. The sound was followed shortly by a noticeable wind that came abruptly and then abated.

-Rockets Attack: Shokeda, Zimmurat, Shuka, Yarsmel

     I overhear a quiet conversation as the Israeli guide leans over to reassure our American guide that Israeli intelligence anticipates these attacks and is prepared for them. Our American guide has begun whistling to himself. It is clearly a nervous habit.

-Rockets Attack: Yad Mordechai, Karmi'ia, Nas Haraav

     "The kibbutz," I hear the driver tell our Israeli guide.
     We visited a hill on Bet Shemesh to hear of the ark of the covenant passing through the area.
     "Red Alert says they are firing rockets from Gaza," I hear one of our tour guests say to another.
     "We finally retaliated," our Israeli guide tells our American guide.
     "We did?" our American guide asked.
Our Israeli guide went on to describe them identifying something I couldn't hear and saying they destroyed the rockets.
     "Well, good." Our American guide seems pleasantly reassured.

     We arrived at lunch. Ate it and returned to the bus. As we pulled away, our Israeli guide explained to all of us over the microphone that a jihad extremist leader had been assassinated by Israeli intelligence yesterday. They expected a retaliation and it came today. He explains that some 70 bombs have been launched, but none have landed with any casualties. The Israeli Defense Force has found a group of bombers. They have killed two of them and injured eleven more, taking out the unit.
    Our Israeli guide offers his opinion that this whole conflict will not last more than 24 hours.

    We walk up the hill and hear the story of David versus Goliath. This is the valley suggested to be where the battle took place.

-Rockets Attack: Tushia, Saad, Aliomen, Zimrat, Talmel Blu, Netivot, Turmaa, Timrat and Shava, Yoshu, Tsumann, Talmel Blu

    The next site we come to is some kind of national park caves. It is closed due to the attacks today.
     "...we know where you are and we are coming for you." This was something our Israeli guide told our American guide.
     "That was the Jihad?" our American guide asks.
     "Yes," the Israeli guide confirms.

     We visit another site. The site was Lakish. This is the site of the city destroyed in the Bible around the time of Hezekiah.
     Four planes fly over head. Two by two all in the same direction. These are the first planes we have seen in several hours. We suspect all planes have been grounded.

-Rockets Attack: Ezaz, Mavkim

    We visit Tel Lubna as the sun sets. When we return a full red moon rises over the opposite horizon.

Come and See

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” — John 1:46

     After spending the last week in Israel, I am grateful to see this verse in a whole new light. Nazareth was a nothing town and hardly on any map. It was the most unlikely place to produce anything or anyone of any repute. I know this because I have been shown the archaeological evidence that suggests the size of the town was miniscule compared to those around it. Nevertheless, it produced a teacher who gathered round him a host of followers that slowly spread to every corner of the world.
     Before his word was shared everywhere though, it was shared to small crowds of people willing to listen. When Nathanael asked what could be remarkable that came from nowhere, Philip did not try to explain the message or summarize it or sell it in any way. He simply suggested Nathanael come hear the words for himself.

     Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 
     “Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. -John 1:38-39

     I have been blessed to be able to see the ruins confirmed to be the hometown of four of the twelve disciples. It has been my privilege to visit sites that carbon date exactly to the times attributed them in the Bible and fitting the descriptions given. Stories I have heard my whole life from various scriptures meld into one continuous line when I get the chance to see and feel their proximity to one another. After witnessing many excavations still being conducted and putting my hand on the Western Wall, I know that I am touching history.

     I have been a Christian my entire life, but this does not mean that I carry with me no doubts. I continue to wrestle with the idea of supernatural wonders, just as I imagine anyone of us does. However, after seeing how much of the story has been confirmed through archaeological studies, corroborated secular histories, and fossil evidence, it is not such a stretch to imagine the rest of the story may be true as well.
     My life continues to be enriched by the faith that I have been granted. It is not and never has felt like any kind of hindrance. With all of the conflict going on around me, I have never been more at peace.

     There is a story in the Bible where Jesus healed a man who had been blind. After the miracle was performed, the people demanded that the man who had been healed explain to them what had happened.

The man replied, "I don't know if he is a sinner or not. All I know is that I used to be blind, but now I can see!" -John 9:25

     When people ask, I cannot tell them who God is to them or who He should be. I cannot explain how He works or does not work. I cannot prove His existence or absence. The truth is, I don't want to. I simply know that my life is and has always been better with His presence in it. So I will come each day and see what He has in store for me.

...without fear.

     On the last leg of an 18-hour journey from Beijing to Tel-Aviv, I have plenty of time to reflect on the past couple of weeks. I recognize what I have let go of and this brings me confidence.
     Many times in my life have I relied on others. Many times it was necessary and for the most part it has been beneficial. However, in having to find my own way, I discovered self-reliance in the face of adversity. Without a ride, I found direction.
     My life has been filled with planning throughout its entirety. I planned what I would do after school, I planned the kind of career I would have, I planned out the best way to pursue personal relationships, I planned out every chapter of my own personal story. However, when I had no plan, the true reason for my time in China gravitated to the surface. Without a plan, I found purpose.
     Searching for explanations to life's great mysteries seems to be the sole livelihood of many of us. I searched for why things happen for so long. Why has this person been lost in my life? Why have I missed out on this job opportunity? Why can't I grow in the way I desire? Why do others get to live such different lives? Why has this person come into my life? Why have I been given this opportunity? Why do I have gifts others don't? These endlessly lead to more questions. When I found myself in a place without descriptions I could understand, instinct and inference painted a clearer picture. Without explanation, I found meaning.
     Everyday the internet is our constant companion. It provides news to us, gives us information and carries an opportunity to communicate with others. I was distraught to think of going a few weeks without it. However, when I was left without the white noise that constant opportunity for connection clouding my senses, I discovered that a single conscious effort to connect is more valuable than a million opportunities to do so. Without the internet, I found connection.

     I am touching down this morning into a new land. It will be another country that I do not speak the language in. In this one, I have not even booked my lodging ahead of time.
     I am not worried.
     I know that I will find my way. I know that I can determine a course once I arrive. I know that a purpose comes first, so that a plan will form organically. I know that explanations are the tip of the iceberg when searching for meaning. I know that without the internet, connections will be found not less but more.
     I know that all of these things that I counted as lacking have filled me to the brim. I know that I am free of what I used to rely on. I know that I am free. Without fear,
     I found freedom.

...without the internet.

     There were parts of this trip that were certainly limited due to my lack of internet. I did not have the opportunity to research sites once I got here. My travel plans were all contingent on how close they were to my hostel. I could get to almost nothing that wasn't connected to some kind of major transportation hub.
     On a trip where I had pleasantly discovered that my text service came with me for free in every other country, this disconnection from every kind of digital contact was new.
      It didn't really sink in until after the first few days. After already seeing what I had come to see within the first 48 hours of being here, I was becoming curious about what else was out there. But I could not just type in a quick search to find out.
      Luckily, the hostel had maps of the Beijing subway that cited major attractions on it. This became one of my primary guides. I simply took a new attraction each day and explored a small part of the city with each one. My nights would be filled by talking to other travelers in the hostel bar. We would talk about what we had seen and we're going to see. If a few of us had the same ideas, we would go together.
      Who knew? The simple art of conversation still exists and works as a valid exchange of information. Along the way I met someone on my Great Wall tour that shared a kung-fu show with me. I met someone the next night and we decided to share the Forbidden City together. Another new friend was determined to see pandas in China, so we spent a day at the Beijing Zoo. There were four of us who got together to do nothing more than play card games in the bar for four nights in a row. When one of them left, someone else who had just arrived joined the game. I left having exchanged information with five or six different people in as many countries.

     Unexpectedly, it seemed easier to meet people in an environment that seemed so foreign. It turns out, the need for human interaction is pretty important to us and only when it is limited can it be appreciated in its fullness. It was without the distraction of constant digital noise,
     I found connection.

...without explanation.

     It's a cold, rainy day today. I had thought I might visit the Forbidden City today, but the majority of it is outside in the weather. Almost all of the historical sites in this ancient city are exposed to the elements. I did take note, however, of a museum that sits right next to Tian'anmen Square. I resolved to wait out the rain gathering whatever information I might find there.
     Even getting into the museum ended up being a bit of a chore. Trying to get to the front door, I was directed with point of a security guard's finger to go to the security check. This security check walked me right to the crosswalk that took me into Tian'anmen Square. Despite the rain, I took my time walking through the square to soak in the atmosphere.

     It's a bustling place with endless waves of tourists who are mostly Chinese snapping their selfies and hurrying to the constant lines at each entrance. Security guards stand on every corner and many seemingly random points in between. They appear bored more than anything. A deeper sense says that despite the commotiont there is very little going on here. It is more just a space for events to happen when they need to, rather than a space that has something happening all the time.

     I continue on to the next cross walk that takes me back to the side of the museum. There is a stone mob of people staring directly down at there cell phones. Past this I see a small building unattached to the museum that just a few people are rushing to. The building has lots of Chinese I can't read and the word "passport." I head towards the building. After elbowing my way to the front, as is the custom in China, I hand the clerk my passport. She types something into her computer, then hands me my passport with a slip of paper. I take the piece of paper with me to the side entrance of the museum. As I hand it to the woman attending the door, she passes me through to a security check.
     After passing through the security check, I now have free reign of the museum itself. I discover a space much larger than I thought with much more information. There are nineteen galleries that span five floors. Each gallery proves to hold several rooms worth of specific history. One holds the history of currency. Another holds the history of literature. A third holds a history of weapons. A fourth holds a history of international relations.
     The gallery that captures my attention the most is the one that has a history of the country as a whole. This gallery is by far the largest and has mutliple roomed sections that each contain a major chapter of China's history. It begins with fossils demonstrating early man's presence on the vast continent. It continues with exhibitions demonstrating development of tools. It is followed by exhibitions of early societal structures and finally compounds into the countless dynasties that stretched out for thousands of years leading up to modern day Chinese life.

     What I found most fascinating was how much could be interpreted by such a vast expanse of history. Walking through the birth and growth of this very foreign culture, I found a sense of my own becoming. There is an ongoing cycle from growth to creation to destruction to growth to creation to destruction and on and on again. It can be found in any society around the world.
     And it could be seen plainly walking through the halls where I could not read a single sign. While the displays were all in Chinese, the story itself was clear. Some stories are so universal, they need no explanation. They can be found not in examining our differences, but rather by observing our similarities. It is in these stories,
I found meaning.

...without a plan.

     When I arrived in China, I had nothing more than my hostel booked. People before and during the trip asked me many times why I was going to this country. Tian'anmen Square and the Great Wall. Outside of these two places, I had no idea what to look for. I trusted that the Great Wall was a big enough attraction that I would be able to find my way there once in country. Tian'anmen Square was no further than five or six blocks from my hostel.
     I was fortunate enough to view Tian'anmen on my way to the hostel, as well as several times after that simply because it was on my way to other sites I decided to visit. When checking into my hostel, I immediately noticed a sign behind the counter advertising their "Ancient-Secret Great Wall" tour. I signed up for the next day.
     I was pleased to find that the main descriptions they put on their sign proved to be true. Their tour was simply a bus ride, a twenty-minute explanation of the history of the wall, three hours of free time to explore it, a provided lunch on site, and then a return ride back to the hostel. It was nice to have a tour that did not try to sell anything extra or take you to any shopping sites along the way. Additionally, the part of the wall we went to is between any main tourist sites. This means that we had most of the wall all to ourselves.

     After returning to the hostel, a new friend I had met on the tour and I signed up to see a kung fu show that evening. It was only as we were leaving that I realized that this time the transportation provided was only one way. We ended up having to find our own way back. This took us down many streets we never would have seen otherwise. It gave us the opportunity to see Beijing outside of the attractions that draw so much attention. Three hours after the show ended, we came walking back into our hostel near around 1am.
     It was a good second night in the new country.

     Thinking back to my experiences these first few days and throughout the rest of my time in China, it was the unexpected encounters that stuck with me as the most memorable. It was finding a corner full of old men playing cards in the park. It was discovering a gaggling group of girls chasing some celebrity with their camera phones. It was the smiles of the old ladies on the subway when I gave up a seat for them. It was the excited children playing in the zoo and the happy parents looking after them.
     While I appreciate the history each of the many UNESCO sites provided, it was the moments in between them that portrayed how everyday life looks for the people in China. This was the reason I had come here. It was in the unplanned moments,
     I found purpose.

... without a ride.

     I am willing to admit that I was a little more apprehensive visiting China than some other countries. I have certainly heard rumors of secret surveillance and hostility towards Americans. My hesitation was further heightened by an article I read that claimed nothing associated with Google works in China. While I know many of you are immediately sensing I rely too much on the internet, please understand my phone is a Google product and so I was concerned that it would not connect to anything. This would mean no internet, no maps, no GPS, no phone calls and no text messaging. All in a country that may or may not have any signs in English. For this reason, I took the extra measure of setting up a ride from the airport ahead of time with Hostelworld. Feeling secure about my decision, I made no extra effort to look up how to get to my hostel from the airport ahead of time.
     Needless to say, I was a little upset when my ride was not at the airport as promised. I was not all that surprised because I had read some previous reviews that said their transportation had not shown up. Other reviews raved that they were very happy they did not have to navigate their way on their first night to a hostel in a busy city.
     I had also read that the drivers would wait for forty-five minutes after their pick-up time, which in parentheses stated typically at the time the flight arrives. With this in mind, I specifically requested the driver an hour after my flight arrived. As I walked out of the immigration, customs, and baggage claim to the arrivals area an hour and a half after my flight arrives, I knew I had a fifty-fifty chance. The odds proved not to be in my favor.
     After walking up and down the line of signs without my name on any of them three times, I began to try getting help with the information desk. They let me use the phone to try to call the phone number listed as the contact for Hostelworld's rides. No one picked up the phone and no message machine came on. I asked the information clerk how I could connect to the internet. They gave me a connection password. My phone said it had internet, but couldn't pull anything of any sort up. I tried calling the Hostelworld phone number again using the information desk's phone. Same result; no answer. I hung up and tried the phone number again. Same result; no answer. I walked back through the line of drivers with signs one last time. My name was not on any of them.

     I now decided I will just have to make my way to the hostel on my own. I reviewed the information I had printed on my reservation and, fortunately, it had a few simple instructions. When I say simple, that is just what I mean.
     "Take the subway from the airport," was the first instruction. It did not specify which subway or where to or where it is at the airport or any other information that would prove to be helpful. The next few instructions were just as plain. Transfer here, get off there, turn here, walk 800 meters.
     With these vague ideas I went back to the information desk.
     "Where is the subway?" I asked.
     They pointed behind them. So, I walked through a long corridor behind them that evidently was the connection between a subway station and the airport. I waited in line to buy a ticket. At the counter they told me they could not take credit card, only cash. I asked about the machines next to the counter, they also only took cash. I asked where the ATM is. They pointed me back to the airport. I went back into the airport. As I entered, the security stopped me to perform a bomb check on my clothing. I passed and went back into the airport. I asked the information desk where the ATM is. They pointed me to their left. I walked a little ways to discover an ATM with an "out of service" sign on it. I walked back to the information desk to ask again. This time they pointed me to their right. Walking twelve gates down, I found another ATM. I pulled out a fair amount of cash and returned to the subway ticket machine. The ticket machine, which only took cash, spat my money back out and displayed the words "no change." So, I waited in line again for the teller, who promptly yelled at me in Chinese when I couldn't answer his question before giving me my change and a single ticket.
     Sitting on the subway I was anxiously watching each stop to make sure I got off at the right one. I found my transfer. I walked out of the train into the station and followed a few signs that led me to a crossroads in the crowd. My ticket was taken on my way out. I discover on the other side of the subway gate another subway gate. I had to buy another ticket to transfer. So, I purchased my ticket, got one the new subway line and hopped off at my stop. Scurrying along as best I could with my 30lb backpack, I came up a set of stairs outside for the first time since the airport.

     It was here that I saw the first reason I had come to China. The lights outside the subway station were beautiful. The architecture seemed somewhat familiar. As I tried to place it, I began to remember why I had picked the hostel I would stay at. This is the outside of Tian'anmen Square. I hadn't even made it to my hostel yet and I was seeing it along the way.

    My pace slowed down despite the weight on my back. I wanted to enjoy my first sight of this historic area. I was not the only one. Many people were snapping selfies and trying to capture the imagery of the square. I continued on down a street that I was not sure of, leading away from the square. I was pleasantly reassured when I saw a sign that had the same name as the street with my hostel several blocks away. I turned down this street to find that the street itself has quite a draw. It has countless storefronts with historical markers that date back 300 years. It has merchants selling the same types of wares that have been sold here through multiple dynasties. The feudal gates to the interior of the city stand at the end of the street.

     It doesn't take long to find my hostel now.

     Over the twelve days that I am here, my comfort level grows. I saw one of the two main things I came to see by accident the first night. It got easier from there, despite my initial trepidation. The hostel is kind enough to provide maps for travelers to help see major sites. After a few days this becomes little more than a reference for what else to see since it has historical sites listed as attractions. After a week, I have quit taking it with me. In the last few days I am in China, westerners on the street ask me how to find things out of the blue.
     If I had never had to make it on my own, I suppose it might have taken more time to acclimate to the traveling here. Sometimes it is the unexpected experiences that grant us the most growth. Sometimes we do not realize how much we rely on others, rather than ourselves. It was only when I was without a ride, without the opportunity to be carried,
     I found direction.