Saturday, September 20, 2008

David is currently looking for side work .

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Coming Home

I will update all 200+ photos I have to the links when I get home to PA on Thursday the 18th . Tonight I fly from Tel Aviv at 1am to Brussles for a layover then on to Seattle . Thank you all for your prayers of safety and health they have worked . So many incredible things have happened I will have to share with you in person , just to capture a bit of my last few days - I slept in Jerusalem outside under the stars (there were a couple) in the Garden of Gethsemane then watched the sunrise from the castle like walls of the old city . I saw where Jesus entered the city on a donkey , where the last supper was ... where He was crucified....... etc etc etc . To much for the senses to take in , it was truly incredible and a blessing for me to get to be here . Awesome . 

Well see yall real soon. Thanks for reading . 

His
David

Friday, September 12, 2008

The Holy Lands

I wrote this a day ago and didn't post so Im writing more at the bottom......

This week has been amazing , since leaving Rome and arriving into Athens there had been a lot of running around and barely catching trains etc but now it has just been time to enjoy the beauty of the city . After spending time with my hilarious Greek friend Krek in Athens viewing the ancient Olympic structures and the Acropolis I took a ferry down south to the amazing island of Paros . It was awesome to be on the sandy beaches all day but what also struck me was the history of this whole area . The disciples had landed on these shores and the surrounding areas for the first “missions” trip in the history of the church . What I already believed to be true is now visibly coming to life . Since Paros I got on another ferry south to the world famous Santorini which boasts the most spectacular sunset over the mediteranion sea . The island itself is a volcano with black sand beaches as well as mountainous peaks over the water . I wont be able to describe the colors I saw because Im not sure I had seen them before at the time of sunset , I have a few photos but they wont be able to do it justice . Ran into a sketchy dude that rented scooters which provided for much excitement that night as his sketchy rusty scooter key ended up breaking in the ignition and he couldn’t understand how his fine machine could ever ever possibly break down . He reminded me of a really crooked car salesman , I learned abit of a lesson that night ….. ask me more about this later Im leaving out a lot of details on that one .

 

That night took the 3am ferry to Crete and Im just baffled by the history , things I learned in a crusty old 8th grade history book came alive like never before and I started remembering things that Mr Crook said about the ancient Greeks and the structures at Knossos etc . I spent the rest of the day on the beach and late tonight I fly into Cyprus before making my final stop in Israel . Another fun fact , someone cross check me on this one but remember about the family (man and wife) that held back some of the profits on there sale of land and claimed to give it all to the lord – well tomorrow Im going to be in that same area . That’s just wild to me , I praise God for this opportunity daily . Israel is still what this trip is all about and I think the things I have witnessed are leading up to a big crescendo as I very shortly will see where Jesus walked and preached . This is extremely important to me and if I could ask for your prayers for this final stretch of the journey as growth takes place and new things are revealed to me . Ecstatic .

 His ,

 David  


Update:

I have since spent the day on Cyprus camping underneath the stars and viewing the ancient seaside castles . I got into an amazing conversation with an ex-drunk from Denmark that went through AA and got sober/found God . Awesome . 

That night I flew into Israel after a being screened 3 times for security never so excited in my life . As we touched down in Tel Aviv my heart raced with excitement and I honestly felt for some reason that I was coming home , or that I belonged there - Im not sure why . 

Today I attended a birthday party for my friends friend in Tel Aviv , tomorrow I will be swimming in the River Jordan and Sunday I leave for Jerusalem to see what I came for . Ecstatic . Its amazing to talk with Jewish people listening to there perspective of God and politics and how a nation with enemies on all sides can survive . I've learned more in my first day here about Israel than I have in my life . Please continue to pray for me in this incredible time . 

My trip ends so quickly and I wish I would have been here longer . See yall in Seattle at 1:05 pm Wednesday the 17th..... : ) 

Thursday, September 4, 2008

A whirlwind

Continuing on from that last update.... So after seeing the beauty of Michelangelos paintings it really got me thinking . His most famous work in the Sistine Chapel shows God stretching his loving arms out toward man as we (man) just hold out our hand limply without much effort . Sad but true . It was awesome to see the Egyptian Museum in the Vatican as well as where the apostle Peter was buried . Im not sure why but seeing his final resting spot made me break down a bit . I think it was good to see that in my time running up to where Jesus was buried in Israel then rose again 3 days later . 

There was a huge riot in Rome that night as a rowdy Futbol fan was killed by Italian police , the game was cancelled and Rome was in a uproar . In the trainstation near my hostel there was blood on the floor and trash cans scattered everywhere as the Italian Swat was working to restore order . In certain sections of town cars where being burned but I didn't see any of that .  Nike hosted "the Human Race" a marathon taking place all over the world and then a free concert at the end . In Rome the band Subsonica played in a HUGE outdoor field with 10,000? people and I was in the crowd . It was amazing as it was directly next to the Coloseum where gladiators fought . It was all almost to Epic to comprehend . Italian pizza is really good , so is there gelato . nuff said . 

The next day woke up and had some espresso and toured the cities cathederals etc (ask me about this later) and then I took a train to the airport to fly out to Greece . Landed in Athens and I have since seen the Acropolis and the peoples market , I spent some time eating Gyros (mmmeaty goodness) on the beach and now Im back at my friend Costantinos house but his nickname is Krek updating and emailing everyone . Tonight I take a 9 hour boat ride out to the Greek Island of Crete to relax on the beach then head toward an Island named Santorini off the coast of Turkey for the worlds most epic sunset Im told . Greece is so much cheaper than the rest of Europe and Im very happy for that after almost going broke in spain .  In about 5-6 days I will be in the Holy Lands where I plan on spending the majority of my time reading my Bible and focusing on my relationship with God . I get to see where Jesus walked and Ive never been so excited to go to country before . Keep me in your prayers for this leg of the journey and how my heart and soul will be receptive to the new things God will reveal to me.

His and yours , 

Piper