Olive wood...

This is me at the Sea of Galilee. That day we saw Nazareth, Galilee, Capernaum, the Dead Sea (didn't go near or in it though), and drove by Jericho, although there was no wall to make it stand out obviously.

So, yeah, it's been a while hasn't it. We're leaving tonight, from Israel that is, and I'd say it's been an interesting, and productive time, but lot's full of hard times. Being in a prayer room hearing the same people play the same songs on the same guitar for six hours a day for a month will do a bit of damage to your nerves, but it was worth it. When I get home, I think entering into times of prayer and fasting will be exponentially easier than they were before. I didn't even really feel the need to spend lots of time in prayer or fasting before I came on this DTS. We'll see what happens in this last month, but I think I've grown a lot in this time. The problem is, in growing so much, now so many new problems have come to my attention, and old problems are constantly knocking on the door, cept it's been so long now that it's more like the old problems are trying to break down the door.

By the way, I'm sorry it's been so long, for those of you, if any, who faithfully check every morning to see if "Barry wrote something!" I just find it hard to express things I'm going through at the moment, and as for telling stories and about Jerusalem, I don't have many, but I'll try. And the photo's speak for themselves as to where I was and what things look like.

Well, here's a story. Beggars here are very forward, like, one man was going door to door asking for money, and could speak very little English, but tried me anyways. It took so long for me to figure out what he was saying, that when I realized he wanted money, I felt bad for taking up his time and gave him some change. But the real story is at the Western/Wailing wall, the only remaining piece of the foundation of the former Temple of God.

It was my first time there, and I was the only guy in the group, so I was alone in the mens section, and I walked up to the wall, put my hand on it, and prayed. Now all of those things I did very slowly and carefully, with my eyes darting about as to make sure I was not doing anything illegal, or wrong, or offending anyone. Anyways, I felt like I was doing ok, although I obviously stand out being a slightly blonde 6'4" foreigner with no tassels, cape, or beard. So while I am there praying, I could swear I saw a man look at me down the wall a ways, and start towards me while looking at me. I tried to pretend I couldn't see him until he started talking to me.

He asked me where I was from, quietly of course, and a bunch of other questions, while I was wondering why he was talking at all since it was against the rules to just converse by the wall (especially since he looked like one of the hard core people). Then he offered to pray for me, to which I was pleasantly surprised, and agreed. He put his shawl, or cape, or flag or whatever over my head, and started chanting in Hebrew, and the whole time he did that, I prayed in my head for him to soften his heart to Jesus and for God to unveil his eyes and all that good stuff. Now the amusing part of the story is afterwards. He pulled out a hundred shekels (twenty five American) and kept saying, "Change". Since he did have limited English, he could not continue to explain what he meant, but I kept trying anyways. "Do you want change? I don't have that much change. What do you mean 'Change'?" Then, finally, I realized that he was asking for me to pay him for the prayer. I started laughing, and actually gave him what he wanted, and then he walked off. But man alive! I mean, I practically lived that John 2:14 story. This guy, pretty much as close as you can get to being in the Temple of God, was trying to make money the whole time. I wanted to start flipping tables (there were tables), and preach the good news, but it wasn't going to happen, and it was only my first visit.
Anyways, it just proves how crazy this county has become since Jesus. But they'll have to invite Him before He comes back.


Just some palm trees in the sun at Capernaum.

Holy Land...

So, here I am in Jerusalem. I just woke up at ten after ten… at night! Cause we’re getting up at 10pm and going to bed at 2pm every day so that we can do the “night watch” at the prayer room. Customs was fun… not. Anyways, they held us for many hours, and I got interrogated first, which means the guy asked me all the questions, and then just kind of asked some of them to everyone else, but they were giving the same answers (cause we were all telling the truth), so he didn’t have to ask them as much. Anyways, they are suspicious of us of course for being in Lebanon, and he has my email, so, yeah. Carefulness is my new word.

Anyways, that was the longest hardest day of the DTS so far, and I’m still tired. My room is nothing to look forward to for sleeping either. I have a sleeping bag that doesn’t open all the way as a blanket, and my bed sheet as my blanket sheet thing, and I have no pillow, and I’m on a top bunk, and all my stuff is stacked and piled on these chairs cause there is no dresser or anything in our tiny, tiny room. And there’s no door, so I won’t be getting much sleep. The real problem is that the other girls get these huge rooms with fully furnished beds and huge dresser things. I have 75 dollars left for the month, so I’m worried a bit about that.

So I slept fourteen hours the other night (day), then the next night (day), I only slept two, cause I was so energized from the last sleep, but it has really messed me up during the time I am supposed to be awake. I’m proud though. 14 is a new record. I think I woke up a total of three times, but they were all instant back to sleepers.

I also have now seen the Western Wall, the Tower of David, and the Church of the Holy Seplechre, although not the inside yet.

Other than that, this prayer room at night thing is starting to grow on me now. It will get old if I don’t learn some new songs soon though, cause I only have like thirty or something, but I will be playing like 6 hours a week or something. It’s great though. I gotta get back to work now though, so I’ll see you guys later.