okay, I have been back for a while, but blogspot still thought I was away! ha!
coming home from Israel was a joke! my flight was delayed an hour just to board. once we got on the runway, the pilot announced that he wanted to park the plane to check a valve before take off. that check took an hour and a half. total delay time= 2.5 hours= total layover time in Toronto to catch San Francisco flight back to California. needless to say, I missed the last flight home by 5 minutes! at that point, I really wanted to be on my way home. I had already adjusted to California time, gotten ready to rejoin my Fresno life, and I was delayed one more day. Air Canada was very accommodating, setting up our group for the night at a local Best Western hotel and providing meal vouchers. the greatest thing about missing the flight was the chance to soak in the hotel spa and sleep in a queen-sized bed taken over by big, fluffy pillows. a great way to relax from the hectic travel home. the last flight to San Francisco the next day went smoothly, getting a chance to catch up on the in-flight movies I didn't watch on the first trip!
Israel was such a great experience. I am so glad I happened to hear of the trip last fall and was able to work it into my schedule after graduation. I believe anyone serious about the Bible should travel around the Holy Land to experience the stories in person. I love ready the Bible now and stumbling upon a city name and knowing exactly what that city looks like and where it's located because I'VE BEEN THERE! it's so cool! my thinking about the church and its academic world have changed a lot. as one great funny man keeps commenting to me, "oh, you don't want to do that anymore since you've been to Jerusalem." while most of the time he's pulling my leg about silly things, some aspects of my life have changed I believe for the rest of my life because of this trip. I am so thankful for this trip and the opportunity to walk the land of the Bible.
now I am back and have been thrown into busy Fresno life. it was great to come home to my loving family, sharing pictures and stories of my trip. I saw some of my great friends and met new ones. so good to be home!
the rest of June will be a time for me to prepare for Camp Keola, as I will be assisting Greg Camp as program director. our theme this year is service and we want to incorporate some projects to help with the relief work of MCC. Keola captured a special place in my heart summer of 2004 and I am so glad I can come back this year, probably for the last time. this time next year I will be finishing my year of Mennonite Volunteer Service in Washington DC. speaking of MVS, also this month I will have to start consolidating my belongings and planning what to take with me when I move to DC in August. so much happening and time flies by so fast!
