I'm here--in Israel! And have been since 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. So much has happened to me since then; where should I begin? I could write something like my Christmas letter, but I won't. Here are things in shorthand:

My flights on British Airways all went fine (thank you, Lord! and thank you too, Rabbi Herb). The 8 hour layover in London was tough, but I slept a couple of hours in a "quiet seating" area, had a good dinner, and although the Tel Aviv flight left nearly an hour late, we made up time in the air and landed on time. I cleared passport control easily and went for my luggage (always a concern for me)--and I thought one bag was lost! However, I saw a large plastic bag go around the carousel, and inside was my suitcase, with the zipper broken. (Later I found out that only one thing had fallen out: my favorite soprano recorder :( which I've had since college.) I found the shuttle to Jerusalem and got to the Bridges For Peace headquarters--and my apartment--by 7:15 a.m. Ina, who met me, was shocked that I'd gotten in so soon. She showed me where I will be living for the next 3 1/2 months, and it is a delightful place! Two bedrooms, large bath with extra toilet, and large living space with a full kitchen along one wall. I unpacked my bags, got settled in, and took a nap before Ina returned for my orientation meeting. We did it over sweet potato soup and lattes in a cafe near Jaffa Street. Then we walked around Ben Yehuda mall, the very first place I visited on my first Israel trip. It’s amazing that I'm living just 5 minutes away! Since there was’t a coffee maker in my apartment, I purchased one for 150 shekels (about $34.00) because I HAVE to have my coffee in the morning. And Israelis drink mostly instant! Yech... Finally, I headed home, and to bed.

Friday morning I tried out my new coffee pot and had a huge Jewish bagel for breakfast. Because everything shuts down for shabbat around 4:00 p.m., and because I thought I'd be with BFP people all afternoon, I asked where the nearest supermarket is and went to buy some food. On the way, I heard a shout of "Chicago" and a security guard stopped me. He'd seen my North Park sweatshirt, and told me he used to teach at Northeastern Ill. U., which is just a few blocks from the NP campus! Talk about a small world... At the supermarket, I was quite befuddled with all the Hebrew labels and Jewish foods, but I filled half a cart before I checked out. That's when I realized I don't have a car here to haul everything home. I managed to get my stuff into four bags, but they were very heavy and made it a hard walk home with everything I’d bought. At 10:30 the whole staff headed to the Distribution Center for their monthly gathering/lunch/birthday celebration. The Center is quite a place, with offices, food, supplies, and kitchen in this large warehouse. I met many BFP people, and forgot at least 90% of their names! But it was great to get acquainted and learn a bit more about what I'm in for while I'm here. We had lasagna for lunch, announcements and informational meeting afterwards, and then the executive director spoke and gave a wonderful challenge to all of us about praying harder for Israel, in light of the difficult issues this country is facing.

I got home earlier than I expected, so I walked with two of my neighbors to the "shuk" (open market) to buy fresh produce. What a great place to shop! And it is open every day, except shabbat. It is exactly what you'd expect a Middle Eastern market to be: loud, crowded, delicious smells of every kind, and everything attractive to look at--and to buy! I got fresh basil, my favorite "zatar" spice to dip with olive oil, and a bunch of fresh strawberries. As we walked home, you could tell that shabbat was about to begin. The busses had stopped running, people were rushing to get home, and sidewalks were nearly deserted. It is a strange feeling, kind of creepy, yet wonderful at the same time when you remember the reason it is so still. People observe the sabbath here, secular and religious Jews alike. Everyone is at home, with family, and leaving everyday life behind. I spent the evening reading, having supper, writing my journal, and listening to music on my new ipod. I went to bed early, because of what I had planned for my shabbat.

Even before I left home for Jerusalem, I had decided to spend my first Saturday visiting all of the holy sites, taking my time and using the experience to focus on our Lord. I knew that I'd be living quite close to the Old City, but when I set out for the Garden Tomb on Saturday morning, it struck me how REALLY close I am to everything! I was at there just 10 minutes after leaving my apartment. Instead of giving you all of my impressions of each place, I will just list the places I visited during the day, soaking up the "spirit" of each location from the life of Jesus, reading the biblical account at each site, and praying:

*Garden Tomb and "skull" of Calvary

*Entered the Old City through the Damascus Gate and walked through the Arab Quarter to the Holy Sepulchre Church.

On the roof of the Holy Sepulchre Church, the Coptic Church (Egyptian "property"--I prayed with a Coptic priest!), inside the church, the "skull" of Calvary (here surrounded with the icons and incense burners of the Orthodox Church), the tomb, and the stone where Christ's body was prepared for burial.

*Walked along the Via Dolorosa to St. Anne's Church/Bethesda, stopping for a spicy egg pizza-like lunch sandwich from an Arab vendor.

*The pools of Bethesda, the cool interior of St. Anne's (the traditional site of the Virgin Mary's birthplace) with its fabulous acoustics, and the sweet sound of a German girl singing, followed by a Japanese choir.

*Exited the Old City through the Lion's Gate--but instead of descending to the sidewalk, I noticed a walkway along the east wall. I followed it instead. Turns out that it meanders through the Muslim cemetery, put there to stop Messiah from ever entering the Holy City in the future through the Golden Gate! (It would make him unclean if he passed through all those dead bodies.) It was a thrill to stand right at the base of the Golden Gate, and to continue around the southeastern edge of the wall where the new mosque has been built on the Temple Mount. The bulge in the wall that raised so many concerns has been fixed, with what seem to be new stones, and windows inserted, probably for the new mosque.

*The Western ("Wailing") Wall. It was quite crowded because of shabbat, and thrilling to go up to that famous, ancient site and pray with Jewish men and boys, the rocking motions of the orthodox with their prayer shawls, boxes on their foreheads, and black hats and coats and long locks all around me.

I was really tired after this and decided to leave Gethsemane, the Palm Sunday Walk, and Mount of Olives for another shabbat. I headed out of the Jewish Quarter and into the Armenian Quarter, where life was in full swing (Armenians are Christians; their sabbath is Sunday). I stopped for coffee and something sweet and relaxed for awhile before heading for home. And 15 minutes after I walked out of the Jaffa Gate, I was in my apartment! I still can't get over how close I am to all of this...

I downloaded all 107 pictures that I took of my day and put the ones I'm sharing with you into a folder. I made spaghetti for dinner (with that fresh basil I bought at the "shuk"). I updated my journal--and that was the end of my third day Jerusalem.

I hope this gives you a feeling of what I'm already experiencing in my new life here in Jerusalem. It is thrilling, to say the least. However, as I'm living alone, the evenings get a bit long, and I can feel pangs of lonesomeness for things familiar--and home. I look forward to getting into my regular routine on Monday, and to building new friendships with my new BFP family.

Until next time, Shalom!

PHOTOS: 1. view from my apartment ("Bridges" yard) 2. Distribution Center 3. the "shuk" 4. Garden Tomb 5. Calvary (the "skull") in the Holy Sepulchre Church, under the floor under this altar 6. Golden Gate 7. Mount of Olives 8. Western ("wailing") Wall with Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount