I'm leaving! No, really...I'm actually leaving this time!

After quite the rollercoaster of emotions waiting for approval of our visas, waiting to physically get said visas, and needing to find flights to Tel Aviv (Hurricane Irene changed things up a bit), I am excited to say that our group of six is finally off to Jerusalem. It doesn't seem completely real, yet. Although I've been getting hit with waves of realization: over 40 weeks living in the Middle East.

Tomorrow morning we will pack into a van and scurry off to O'Hare to catch a flight to Frankfurt and then to Tel Aviv. We will be greeted by our wonderful Country Coordinators, Julie and Jeff, and then off to do who-knows-what as we go through our orientation. I've already been feeling the warm hospitality from the community that awaits us; it sounds as they are as excited to meet us as we are to meet them.

Please continue to keep the six of us in your prayers as we travel tomorrow and begin this new journey. Keep your eyes pealed for more blog posts soon, hopefully full of pictures!

As-Salamu Alaykum

(Peace be upon you)

"Passover Remembered" by Alla Bozarth-Campbell

Pack nothing.
Bring only your determination to serve
and your willingness to be free.

Don't wait for the bread to rise.
Take nourishment for the journey, but eat standing.
Be ready to move at a moment's notice.

Do not hesitate to leave your old ways behind-
fear, silence, submission.
Only surrender to the need of the time-
love justice and walk humbly with your God.

Do not take time to explain to the neighbours.
Tell only a few trusted friends and family members.
Then begin quickly, before you have had time
to sink back into old slavery.

Set out in the dark.
I will send fire to warm and encourage you.
I will be with you in the fire, and I will be with you in the cloud.

You will learn to eat new food
and find refuge in new places.
I will give you dreams in the desert
to guide you safely to that place you have not yet seen.
The stories you tell one another around the fires in the dark
will make you strong and wise.

Outsiders will attack you, and some follow you
and at times you will get weary and turn on each other
from fear, fatigue and blind forgetfulness.

You have been preparing for this
for hundreds of years.

I am sending you into the wilderness to make a new way
and to learn my ways more deeply.

Some of you will be so changed by weathers and wanderings
that even your closest friends will have to learn your features
as though for the first time.

Some of you will not change at all.

Some will be abandoned by your dearest loves
and misunderstood by those who have known you since birth
who feel abandoned by you.

Some will find new friendships in unlikely faces,
and old true friends as faithful and true
as the pillar of God's flame.

Sing songs as you go,
and hold close together.
You may at times grow confused
and lose your way.

Continue to call each other by the names I've given you
to help remember who you are.
Touch each other,
and keep telling the stories.

Make maps as you go,
remembering the way back from before you were born.
So you will be only the first of many waves
of deliverance on the desert of seas.
It is the first of many beginnings-
your Paschaltide.

Remain true to the mystery.
Pass on the whole story.
Do not go back.
I am with you now and I am waiting for you.

Airports

[Note: This was written 17 Aug; sorry for the delay in posting!]

Flying. I have a love/hate/love relationship with it. I love the airports, the excuse to take long naps during flight, arriving in a new place, but the actual moving on a speeding bullet through the air isn't really my favorite thing in the world. Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Courtney, you're just scared! Suck it up, be a woman!" but, alas, it is something all together different. Something that makes me feel nauseous, irritable and fuzzy-headed: circulated air. No, no, I won't write an entire post on the ills of circulated air, I've said my piece.

I do love airports, though (for the most part). Before heading through security, my parents and I grabbed some breakfast in the airport and talked about some of our previous travels and the number of airports we've been through (16 for me; I consider those merit badges). There are some that I've really enjoyed (Philly is one of my favorites, even though everyone always seems to hate it, tied with Albany) and some that are less than desirable (Newark comes to mind; although any airport that charges for wifi is lame-o in my humble opinion). But even in the worst of conditions there is something magical about airports (seeing people from all walks of life and from all over the world; and I always manage to see a monk or nun in full habit--I feel safer flying with them). Seriously! I could write a poem about 'em! ...but I won't.

I've just arrived at Baltimore via Southwest, where I will have a few hours until my flight around 1:20 to Chicago Midway. Greeting my hungry eyes was an Au Bon Pain, one of my favorite little cafes (I'm fairly certain that it was an Au Bon Pain in Oxford when I studied there that hosted me quite a few times). The food at airports has to be my favorite, because you *could* eat healthy...but all the other options are so much tastier! No matter what, I always treat myself when travelling. A sandwich, a coffee, or maybe some Junior Mints (perfect to settle that slightly churning mid-air stomach). It's like a vacation... (I have yet to get one of the airport massages, but rest assured I feel that is in my future either on the way to Jerusalem or on the way back at the latest)

So there you have it, I managed to write an entire post on the first leg of my flight. Makes me hopeful that I'll be able to post a lot each week :) 

Please continue to hold all the YAGMs in prayer as we descend on Chicago like the flock of eager beavers we are, as well as my parents as they plan my coming home party ;)

Almost Gone

"You're not waiting for life to begin, you've begun it!"

      -My dental hygienist

In less than 24 hours I will be enroute to Chicago where I will have pre-departure orientation for a week before flying out to Tel Aviv.

Wow.


I've gone through a ton of emotions already and know that there are a few more yet to come. I'd appreciate your prayers as I travel these next few weeks, not only for me, but for my family as well (and, of course, my fellow YAGMs and all those awaiting our arrival in Jerusalem).

One emotion that has popped it's head up is that of frustration. We sent our visa applications and stuffs in at the end of May, but are still waiting for official approval to get the visas placed in our passports. Everyone is working super hard on our behalf, and I know things will get done...but it's not in my nature to not worry. Luckily, everything is out of my hands, so there really isn't much I can do. Actually, there isn't anything I can do. What this means is that our group will be staying in Chicago after our pre-departure orientation for 1-2 weeks while we await final approval and such. I've never spent time in Chicago (flown through and left) so perhaps I will have some time to explore "The Windy City".

All this to say, thank you for your prayers, please continue them! I'm excited to get to Jerusalem :)

Special Thanks to Christ Lutheran in Gettysburg, PA

A very special thanks to Christ Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA, for their generous support of my Young Adults in Global Mission ministry. I visited Christ Lutheran a few times during my undergraduate years at Messiah College and very much appreciate the welcome I received then, as well as the hospitality the church gives to the Seminarians now. I remember Pastor Herr remembering my name during Communion the first time I visited after meeting me briefly before the service began, and that meant so much and has driven me to try and remember names, especially when serving a church.


Christ Lutheran has also supported YAGM in the past, particularly another young woman who served in Jerusalem/Palestine a few years back and has been so very helpful and supportive to me during my YAGM experience answering questions. Thank you, Marta!




I am so very humbled for the support from Christ Lutheran and am excited to continue their ministry in this part of the world.


If you or your congregation would like to know how to support me during my year of service in Palestine, visit the "Ways to Support" tab near the top of the webpage! Donations need to be in by July 27th (contact me if you would like to donate but need an extension).

Less than two months until I'm in Jerusalem/West Bank!!! I'll have packing and planning update soon!

Holy Chickies and Pete's!

Ahhh, Cyprus.



It's really quite amazing here. After many hours on multiple planes, we finally landed in Larnaca (Λάρνακα) on Friday. It was, as we expected, very warm and very Greek (at least, since we are in the southern half of the island). After packing our suitcases into a few rental cars borrowed by the PKAP (Pyla-Koutsopetria, our project) staff, the nine Messiah students (four guys: Matt, Nick, Kyle and Alex; five girls: Caitlin, Melissa, Becky, Rachel, and myself) packed into three different cabs and set off for the hotel. It really is a shame that you weren't in the cab, Mom and Dad; you never would have complained about my driving ever again! To summarize the drive, let's just say we were pushing 90mph and weaving in and out of traffic on lanes and city streets that were narrow, at best. White-knuckled, I arrive at the quite amazing hotel that I will be calling 'home' for the next few weeks.

Our hotel, Petrou Bros. Travel Apts, is pretty nice. The five of us girls share a three bedroom apartment which has a full bathroom and small kitchen/dining area. We each have a balcony as well, which overlooks the city streets below. This is a blessing in disguise, of course, since it can get quite noisy, especially on the weekends. There will be a festival in a week or so which will last about a week, which we've been warned about. It WILL be noisy. Noisy is probably an understatement. The nice thing, though, is that, so far, I've been tired that very little will wake me up. It's a great feeling just falling into bed and not being kept up by anything. *Ah, this is the life.*

Another cool thing about our hotel is that the roof is accessible. We've had a few socials up there already; it's a great place to just sit and chat. You can see a good distance and there are even some plastic lounge chairs for our use. Good deal!

So what have I been up to, besides, of course, sleeping? Well, you'll be happily suprised to learn that I've tried to not nap all the time, although today after church I couldn't help but take a few hours long nap. We've been on the move a lot, though. Friday we had a small tour of our surroundings by our professor, David Pettegrew. After dinner, the undergrads (there are ten of us, Messiah students and a guy from UPitt, Justin) went out to explore, in search of fruit. I was so excited...I was on the search for a mango! Unfortunately, we didn't manage to find a place that sold fruit, but I did find some comfort food...a Mars bar and some orange soda! So delicious! Of course, we stopped by a bakery and picked up some dessert, too. Many of my comrades bought baklava, but, being a detester of nut products, I took a nut-free apple baklava, which I named applikava (although, Nick likes to call them all sugaklava because they are *VERY* sweet...almost too sweet for me....almost).

Yesterday wasn't too busy, at least, not that I can remember. I've been trying to keep up with my journal, but there is so much to write down that I often fall asleep before I can finish an entry. I've been keeping tabs though, so I know what to write when I get back to it. I figure I'll catch up on that when I'm done writing to you!

I do remember that we did a scavanger hunt for a good portion of yesterday. We recieved a certain amount of points for taking pictures of various things. I'm not sure how well this was thought through, since we probably looked a bit sketchy taking pictures of multiple ATMs, public buildings, post office boxes, and churches/mosques. It was a good opportunity to orientate myself to the city. I know where a few things are, the important things (bakery, market place, beach, internet cafe), but I never quite know where the hotel is. Luckily, I don't need to go far for anything, and if I do, I always go with a buddy (see parents, I am responsible). With all that said, Larnaca (or Larnaka if you are Turkish) is a very safe city. Not that I will, but if I had to go somewhere on my own, during the daytime of course, I would feel very comfortable doing so. Luckily, there is always someone willing to go out for something. It's a great deal.

How is the food, you ask? Why, thanks for asking! Our eating schedule is a bit different from what it is back home, due to our work schedule. We eat breakfast in our rooms (food that PKAP buys us- kelloggs cornflakes, yum!) and are out usually between 8 and 9. Lunch is on our own, but typically around 2 or so, earlier depending on what day of the week it is. Dinner is provided by PKAP and prepared by "the cook", Dalton; this is usually around 7 or 8. Yesterday, however, we went out for dinner. I had chicken souvlaki (pretty much chicken kabobs, but you can put it in a pita with tomatoes and cucumbers and onions; I kept the onions out; and then there is a sauce, which was DELICIOUS). Tonight dinner is here at the hotel, but later around 8. It's surprisingly easy to eat at such an odd schedule; I might have a snack here and there, but usually there is so much food that I'm stuffed. As horrible as it sounds, I didn't have time for breakfast today and even though I woke up at 7:30, I haven't eaten (although that might be a lie, I had a little applikava a little while ago) and it's already 4:12pm. I have a mango upstairs that is calling my name though, so I might have that in a while, before dinner at 8.

Today, being Sunday, a group of us went to church. We went to Ayios Lazarus (The Church of Lazarus) for an Eastern Orthodox service. It was a really neat combination of formal/informal practices. It lasted maybe around 2 hours, although we weren't there for the very beginning. People came and left as needed, although a large group arrived towards the middle, during the preparation for the eucharist. People walked around the inside venerating each of the icons, and children participated, too. It was amazing seeing little children that had, more than likely, just learned to walk, kissing the feet of Jesus on the icon.

Since I am on a friend's computer (I decided not to bring my laptop in order to reduce my stress) I am going to get going. My mango is ripening by the minute, I'm sure.

I'll try to check in in a few days! Much love from the Middle East!
=)


[pictures (from top to bottom): a panoramic shot of Larnaca, taken from the roof; the first "official" roof social for PKAP, (l-r) Nick, Matt, Kyle, Alex; Ayois Lazarus.]