It is a Beautiful Catastrophe...

(The Festival of Shavuot)

The Old City of Jerusalem is an incredible and fascinating place. For those of you that do not know what I mean, let me explain it to you. When you read in the Bible and historical books you read of a Jerusalem (for example, where David brought the Ark of the Covenant, where Jesus did some of His earthly ministry, what Rome destroyed 66-70 A.D.). But nowadays when you turn on the T.V. you hear about a city called Jerusalem as well. These are one and the same. Though Jerusalem right now is a modern city, much like Calgary in every way. From public transit, shopping malls, soccer stadiums and hospitals. But the kicker is the Jerusalem that you read in the bible still has its roots amongst this modern city. While it has been built over in many ways, the walls have been preserved (in the very least from Crusader times) and though the city that used to exist has been built over, you can still see some remnants of what used to exist. So in the heart of Jerusalem lies an ancient gem, what is known as the Old City of Jerusalem. This is a brief and surface level explanation of what the Old City is.

I have seen and experienced in-depth and into great detail this Old City. I have walked the streets several times, I have seen the "have to see" sites that the Old City offers, ate in the restaurants, talked with some local Jews and shopkeepers. I have been here with some of the best academics, tour guides, and teachers that the 'Holy Land' has to offer. In fact just yesterday myself and Luke came down to the Old City (via the Palestinian bus) just to walk the streets of the Old City for a couple of hours because we love the place, the culture, the feel of the city, and the people.

And let me tell you...

I can't even begin to describe the impact that this place has had on me. Theologically and Biblically this place has opened my eyes to many things I was previously completely unaware of. But simply as a human this place has really hit me.

When I see this land and these people I cannot help but think that this place is a beautiful catastrophe. Beautiful in that the multiculturality of this place(it is a word, just Microsoft says no) is so obvious and so beautiful. Within 100 metres here you have three of the 'holiest' sites on earth... there is the Western Wall for Jews, The Dome of the Rock for Muslims, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians (where Jesus was crucified and buried).

But this place is tremendously ugly and catastrophic because SO much of what goes on down here in the name of religion is such a far cry from what God calls us to. This morning (4:00 wake up) I went to the Western Wall for Shavuot, which is the celebration for Jews when God gave Moses the Torah (it's one of the three biggest days of the year for these people. Actually, this is the festival that the disciples were celebrating when the Holy Spirit came upon them in Acts 2) and there were probably around 10,000 Jews there. I couldn't help but realize the true meaning of many of Jesus' words as I looked around at the Jews. People were praying loudly, praying in public, dressing to get attention, carrying huge phylacteries to show how 'spiritual' they are, doing these routines so that everyone sees them (and the list goes on)... I go to the Dome of the Rock where there are Muslims reciting Qur'an, being in their Qur'an studies, and doing their call to prayer five times a day... all to their god.

There is so much religion here, but so little relationship with God. It's heartbreaking. The landscape of Jerusalem is beautiful, the cultural here is heart breaking... and I haven't even touched on the political reality of this land, and that is the real kicker. This place is so much more complex and complicated than I could have ever imagined at the beginning of my trip.

The more I have come to know, the more I realize I really don't know anything, that's the true adventure I suppose!

Hope you are all well,

-kAt

Rooftop Thoughts from Jerusalem

It is a beautiful thing… I am lounging on the roof of Tantur Ecumenical Institution sitting in the well over thirty degree Jerusalem heat at a loss for words of the incredible panoramic view that lies 360 degrees around me.

The Biblical history that surrounds me right now is in many ways overwhelming, certainly beyond my comprehension. If I were able to travel back through the pages of history in the exact location I currently am in I would see some of the most amazing things that have ever taken place on planet earth.

Directly in front of me is Bethlehem (no more than a five minute walk), behind me is the Old City of Jerusalem, and all around me is the desert that is so often referred to in the Bible. If I had this time traveling machine I would be able to see the shepherds being greeted by the angels on the hills directly in front of me (Luke2:8-20), I would be able to see on one of the many hills in front of me a scared, recently widowed, and loving Ruth gleaning the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2:1-23), I would be able to see the hectic busyness of Bethlehem because of Caesar Augustus’ issued decree, I would see many faithful Jews returning to their home town, I would see Mary and Joseph travel across this very hill-laden land as Mary was having her contractions, about to give birth to the saviour of the world, I would see a terrified Abraham as he traveled to the current location of the Dome of the Rock to Rock to obediently sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22). I would see the Israelites under David’s guidance take the Ark of the Covenant to the Old City of Jerusalem, I would see Jesus walk these hills with His disciples as He taught them, I would see Amos walk nervously from Tekoa (just on the far side of Bethlehem) to deliver a message that God had given him, I could see all of the events that take place on the Mount of Olives, and I could see King David as he stayed back in Jerusalem while his army went past here to go to war (this is what led to his tragic moral failure with Bathsheba). This is I would see many, many other biblical events. While I cannot see all of these places clearly, I can definitely see all of these locations with a good set of binoculars (there general region invisible)...

That’s the Biblical history, but what about the more recent history?

Directly in front of me is a thirty foot wall that serves as a constant reminder to the Palestinians that they are not wanted, appreciated, liked or cared for at all in Israel. That “their kind of people” are to stick in Bethlehem. If any Palestinians want to get into Jerusalem they have to go through a jail of a system, through barbed wire and chain link fence just to step foot into a city that is literally ten feet away. A heartbreaking reminder of what happens when people reject Jesus and live according to their own plans. If I were here only a few years ago I would literally have people all around me (on this very rooftop, no lie) with machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades and other weapons of murder as bombs flew over my head.

My central location between Jerusalem and Israel is at the very heart of so many pivotal events in history (both biblical and politically) it really is wild to think that I am sitting right here, right now in peace and security at the very heart of so much world political and religious history.

It is a crazy region of the world, but one loaded with so much history... More will be coming!

-kAt

Next up - Jordan!

(that is me with the Monastery at Petra behind me)
(that is me sticking my feet in the Jordan River)

I had been extremely excited to visit Jordan from the moment I found out I would be going there. I had heard nothing but incredible things about this country and knew going in that it was going to be an amazing experience. There are some beautiful sites to be seen in this nation, that is for sure! Of course many people through the Indiana Jones movie (The Last Crusade) had heard of Petra, and then there is Jerash, and many, many other sites that I was looking forward to experiencing. But again as this trip has the tendency to do,it completely blew what I was expecting way out of the water.

So for the same reason that I did my Syria entry point form, I will be doing my Jordan one the same way. Point form, otherwise I would be writing a full-on novel.

- Bethany beyond the Jordan... According to most scholars (as of late) this is the most likely location of Jesus' baptism (John 2)
- The location of Mark 8
- Pella, a town (used to be part of the Decapolis) that many Jews ran to during the destruction of Jerusalem in 66-70
- Jerash, some absolutely incredible Roman ruins are here, another town of the Decapolis
- The Citadel in Amman, found here is what used to be a temple of Zeuss, a museum (where some dead sea scrolls are), incredible view of the city of Amman, and this is what used to be known as Philadelphia.
- Mount Nebo, the location Moses was taken to so that he could see the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34)
- Maecherus, The location of a Herodian fortress overlooking the Dead Sea. It is here that on Herod's birthday he was so pleased by a dance from Herodias' daughter that he promised her anything she wanted... and hence this is the place of John the Baptist beheading.
- Madaba, the capital of Mosaics. Absolutely incredible. Here also, is the oldest map of Jerusalem (it's a mosaic) and so far it is so historically accurate that they can make archaeological digs based on what this mosaic map says.
- Wadi Rum Desert
- Mount Ur, the place that Aaron (Moses' brother) was buried
- Petra
- Watermelon in Jordan... for anyone who has ever had Watermelon in Jordan you know that this is completely worth mentioning. It is absolutely unbelievable how delicious the watermelon in Jordan is.

The coolest experience so far has been all that took place in the Wadi Rum desert! Without a question! When we first pulled up to the desert we were told to load up all of our bags into one haggard looking truck and to pile into the beds of all the other trucks (there were seats...kinda). Once we were all in the back of these seats
the trucks tore off into the desert. We really got there at the perfect time because as we were taking off into the desert sand (which is the most incredible colour of red you could imagine) the sun was just beginning to set. As the sun set over the red mountains, the red sand and our trucks we tore by camels, bedouin tents, and the most incredible views of this picturesque desert you could imagine. As the trucks pulled up to a Bedouin encampment we were told that is where we were staying for the night - it was so cool! We all had our own two person tent-type structures to sleep in for the night in the middle of the desert. So we settled in to our camp and once that was all completed were invited into the communal tent structure (thing) to have the best tea I have ever had and we just lounged out. It was the most incredible way to end a day. Lounging around a campfire, having amazing tea with some great people. Not to mention the perfect sense of peace you have in the desert. There was no sound pollution, no noise pollution whatsoever, and nobody else around me except for the group I am with, and I like the group, so that helps!

After staring at the most amazing starscape (not landscape, but starscape... I came up with that on my own, impressed?) I have ever seen I went to bed. It was a pretty neat thought that the very stars I was staring at while I laid on the wadi rum desert floor were the exact same ones that I have stared at while laying on the docks at Eagle Bay Camp, my home, a certain Cochrane field and other places all around Canada. We as humans really are so small compared to the world that we live in.

The next morning we woke up and had some breakfast (again, the tea was amazing!!!) and we took off, but not in the direction back to the nearest city as I would have thought but out into the desert some more! We went for a couple hour trek through the Wadi Rum! It was amazing! We stopped at this archway that was probably a hundred feet up, of course I climbed up it (I am kind of climbing everything I can), we stopped at a sand dune which a handful of us ran up just so we could run down at (what may be literally) breakneck speed. We stopped at this HUGE canyon, which again, I climbed way too far... it was legit scary trying to get down, my adrenaline was going pumping SO hard. And we drove past a lot more camels, some pretty amazing mountains, some other Bedouin places. It was the most incredible start to a morning you could imagine!

I think it is pretty obvious why staying in the Wadi Rum for a night was incredible. I just talked about all of the physical things that were cool, I did not even mention the amazing spiritual things that the desert represents (on purpose, that's coming up when I talk about Israel, I'm continuing on this idea of desert spirituality later on!)

I could also write a book about Petra but I will save you the time. But Petra is one of the seven modern wonders of the world, and it is very clear why! This place is absolutely incredible. The Nabateans carved a village literally into mountains. From graves, houses, monasteries, treasuries and everything else they need, it was all carved into mountains. Google image Petra, you'll see exactly what I am talking about!

Much love friends,

-kAt

Where in the world is Kyle Alexander? (Syria!)

Eighteen days ago I had no idea what I was about to embark on. I knew that I was having the amazing opportunity to experience Syria, Jordan and Israel for the next five weeks. But I had no idea the way in which this would happen, the amazing things I would experience, the challenging things I would see and have to wrestle through, and the biblical/political history I would be thrust into. I must admit that the last eighteen days have been a total and complete hurricane. I have been inundated with information, dates, historical events, political statements and spiritually challenging thoughts, and religious history. If it wasn’t for journalling I would have lots way too many of these things because no human can retain all that has been pushed onto my plate the last few weeks… But what an amazing adventure I am able to be on! I am so thankful, so blessed, and still so very surprised that I am where I am right now.

I must admit that Syria completely rocked my world. When you think of Syria what would you expect to see? I was expecting a desert wasteland as far as the eye could see… And while part of Syria’s landscape is certainly desert wasteland (they have the Syrian desert) there is so much more than that. There are snow covered caps, there are lush, lush forested regions, there are rock deserts, there are rivers, there are rolling hills that would make Kentucky jealous, there are olive trees as far as your little eyes could take your vision, there are the most loving, kind and hospital people you have ever encountered. The Biblical history is rich in Syria, the Islamic tradition has many routes in Syria, and our own Christian history is far, far beyond what I had expected to see in this land.

I spent one week in Syria and instead of writing about everything that we had the opportunity to do (because that would be several, several hours of writing) I will just put down in point form the things I was able to see… If you have any questions about anything I saw I have absolutely no problem talking to you about it… But if it were me trying to read someone else’s blog I would be far too intimidated by a blog that went on forever, I would much rather just get the short and to the point facts… so here are the incredible things I was able to experience in Syria:
-Had a discussion with the Mufti of Damascus about Islam/Christianity, a “spiritual discussion between East and West on Contemporary Human Problems.”
- Went to the Sheik’s house after the discussion. It turned out to be a several hour time of just having community with our Muslim friends from Damascus… Amazing night!
- Musee National – an incredible museum with artifacts from all time periods and civilizations
- The Souk – a RIDICULOUS shopping strip in Damascus
- Umayyad Mosque – A huge mosque at the heart of Damascus. Also, I saw the shrine where John the Baptist’s head is kept (so they claim).
- Salahuddin’s Grave – the Muslim hero (he defeated the crusaders) grave
- Azem Palace – A palace right next to the Umayyad Mosque
- The House of Annanias – To commemorate Annanias’ bravery for praying over St. Paul
- Straight Street - Acts 9
- St. Paul’s Church – A Church to commemorate his escape from the walls of Damascus
- Ma’aloula - the only city where Jesus’ language, Aramaic is still spoken as a primary language
- St. Serge and Bacchus’ Convent
- St. Theckla’s Divide – Where an amazing story (we read about it outside the canon) of an early Christian saint, and the first female convert of Paul’s miraculous escape from evil pagan sorcerers.
- The Krak Deschevalier – An incredible castle the Crusaders were involved with (here is where I had the most ridiculous fan club of about thirty boys)
- Salahuddin’s Castle (built into a mountain)
- The site where St. Simeon the Stylite lived on top of stylite for his escape to ascetism
- Church of the Forty Martyrs – The church dedicated to an amazing group of early Christian martyrs, what a powerful story this is (ask me about it, if you are curious!)
- The Citadel in Allepo – Another castle, but from Salahuddin’s son
- Palmyra – INCREDIBLE Roman Ruins (including a Temple dedicated to Baal)
- Monastery of Moses – Desert Spirituality
- Bagdad Café – it was talked about in National Geographic
- The place commemorating (believed to be)where Paul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus

I think I will talk about my very favourite part of this trip… and that is all wrapped up under the idea of desert spirituality. Both the Monastery of Moses and the place of Simeon the Stylite have direct relations to desert spirituality. First, the crazy, crazy man Saint Simeon the Stylite. He grew up in a Christian home and at the age of 13 he developed an intense zeal or passion for following Christianity with all that he was. For him, to be a Christian meant denying anything other than Jesus, and for him it was such a strong conviction (almost a compulsion) that it drove him to do some very wild things. When he was still a young man (before 16 years old, most likely) he decided to fully embrace the monastic lifestyle and went to live in a monastery. He denied his body foot (he went all of lent without eating or drinking, which many considered a miracle), he fasted, he committed to standing for long periods of time so that his feet were swollen and badly injured, he would tie things around himself so tightly that it would cut himself, and eventually he decided he would deny himself everything but the very basics. So he went to live in a narrow space, Simeon went to live in a narrow mountain crevice/room. But so many people heard of what Simeon was doing and they sought him out for wisdom/counsel as he lived in this mountain that he decided he would live atop a pillar. And that is what this site was all about, it was the place that this pillar he lived on was, and part of his pillar is still there.

Secondly was the Monastery of Moses. This was a monastery in the middle of the Syrian Desert nestled in the heart of some Syrian mountains. This monastery’s purpose (to this day) is for people to escape from the madness and craziness of everyday life, from the chaos, confusion, hectic pace of life and to retreat to, well, essentially nothing. This is a monastery that mimics the example Jesus laid out for His believers when He went to the mountains, hills, and deserts and prayed to God, fasted, and lived a simple life… Also what John the Baptist did, Elijah, David, etc…

This whole idea of desert spirituality is so challenging for me because I am such a “go-go-go” type person. I am always on the move, always running around, always busy… and in many ways that is how I thrive. But how often do I truly retreat from the madness and busyness of my life and just be still, silent and quiet before my God? Rarely! It is something I need to work on, something I need to be challenged to do (and have been lately by some special people in my life) and something I need to continually strive for, always. I bought a postcard from this place to keep in my Bible as a continual reminder that as I read my Bible I ought to be still, silent and quiet before God…. Something that is always difficult for me to do, but something that I am (and you are!) biblically commanded to do. Now do not worry, I am not going to go all Simeon the Stylite on you, I have no plans to live atop a pillar, for me, that is not my style. But I do need to do a better job of retreating from the madness of my world and dwelling in the calming and peaceful presence of my God.

One more thing that was completely eye-opening for me while being in Syria was that for the very first time I heard the call to prayer. I had never heard it before nor had I experienced the commanding presence that the call demands. On a purely musical level I think that it is beautiful. And on a religious level I love how religiously people adhere to the call to prayer. No matter where they are, what they are doing or anything else they will stop and pray when the call goes off. But in many ways it completely broke my heart and I made a point to pray to MY God for the Muslims as they prayed to their god. As you drive through Syria (and Jordan, and Israel even) no matter where you are at any point at any time of day you can point out a minaret. I think they are beautiful in creation and idea, but it was heartbreaking for me to see just how lost and confused these people are. In many ways they are not so far off, much of what they hold and adhere to is very Biblical… but they are one step off and that is the revelation of who Jesus is… Much like Saul of Tarsus, they are so close to the truth, but they are ONE step off and that step makes all the difference. The people I met in Syria so desperately and badly need Jesus.

But, at the end of my time there I can stand back and say that I absolutely LOVE Syria. I had an amazing time being in community with our Muslim friends at the Sheik’s house, and I had a pretty hilarious encounter with the thirty boys from Allepo at the top of the Crac Deschevalier. I love the Syrian culture and landscape and people.

Much love friends,

-kAt

Where in the world is Kyle Alexander? (London, England)

We flew out of Calgary and landed in the world-class Heathrow Airport in London. We had an eleven hour layover so we were able to run into London for a little bit where I was able to see and experience many of the famous things that make London, London. I saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, the Parliament Buildings, the Thames River (and the crazy culture that runs alongside it), Tate Modern Museum, London Bridge, Trafalger Square, Downing Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral (and went to evensong there), I experienced the tube (Any of you that have had the experience know what I mean when I say “please mind the gap”), and of course I had to go for fish and chips at an authentic London pub! It was a crazy couple of hours but an incredible one. It was a hectic couple of hours but they were amazing! I got to see a lot of things I had only heard about or been told about!

After the madness of running around London we left for Damascus at 11 o’clock at night and did not arrive in Syria until 4 in the morning. Wow! Tiring. Three continents in 24 hours… pretty nuts!

-kAt