Sunday 26 January 2014
SUNDAY, 26TH:
How quickly the days go! My last post was Thursday, and now already it's the end of Sunday!
Friday started with a visit to Kol HaNeshama synagogue to study the Torah portion for this week, which was Mishpatim - Exodus 21:1 - 24:18. In only an hour long session we didn't get through it all but we decided that it was the foundation for all laws, that the thought which stood out most for us and which appeared twice in the reading was
'Now a sojourner you are not to maltreat, you are not to oppress him, for sojourners were you in the land of Egypt' Ex. 21:20
'A sojourner you are not to oppress: you yourselves know well the feelings of the sojourner, for sojourners were you inn the land of Egypt.' 23:9
and the at the end of the Parashah, Ex. 24:9-18 the encounter with G-d, first the elders and then Moses - the covenant renewed:
'Then Moses took the account of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people,
They said: All that YHWH has spoken, we will do and we will hearken!
Moses took the blood, he tossed it on the people and said:
Here is the blood of the covenant that YHWH has cut with you by means of all these words.' Ex. 24:7-8
We felt that amidst all the rules and seemingly possible bad happenings very much as we see things going wrong today, , although we can't change everything, or sometimes anything, we are to take responsibility for what we can do where we are, and a quote I'd like to share with you:
You may find the Bible translations I'm using a bit unusual, they are taken from a translation of The Five Books of Moses, with commentary and notes by Everett Fox. It's the only one I have with me other than a small Schofield Reference Bible
Torah Study Group gave me the opportunity to meet with a small number of members of the synagogue congregation, one to one, and to hear their views and concerns at the present time.
Then off to the bakery to buy pastries for Sunday morning's meeting at 9 a.m with Prof. John Pawlikowski, on a visit from Chicago - more of that later.
A quick coffee and snack and then back home (Ratisbonne Centre) for some washing, ironing, and getting ready to welcome Shabbat. Another beautiful time of worship followed by shabbat supper.
Had a short Skype with Ruth, Jeremy and Emily but not particularly good connection. Wanted to speak to them as today would have been Peter's 68th birthday - so a day which touched my heart with sadness but also gratitude for all we shared. I tried also to get a call to Edward but the connection didn't hold. I'm having trouble since I changed to an Israeli simcard as I have lost some of my numbers but I think with Thailand it was probably just a poor connection, I shall try again.
Saturday: Now this really is a day of rest, a sabbath, a day to spend time with G-d so that he can spend time with me. The streets are more or less silent. As last night also, lots of people making their way to the synagogues, how encouraging is that, so much prayer, oh, and then of course the call to worship from the mosques - even more prayer in this amazing city.
The weather was extraordinary, like a beautiful summer day in the UK, so picnic packed I was off to the park to sit in the sun with a book.
Sunday: Big day: my first proper Bat Kol meeting at Maureena's. Start time 9 a.m., caught the bus around 7.30 to get there just after 8 to help prepare. This has got to be a dream, Prof. John Pawlikowski, Director of Interreligious Studies at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, Prof. Hami Verbin, Head of Religious Studies at Tel Aviv University, and Prof. Maureena Fritz, founder of Bat Kol! How many books, lectures, articles, how much theology is embodied in these three. Don't panic, concentrate, we need minutes of this and I'm taking them! Deed done, all written up: I just had to write up the notes before doing my blog cos I was all jittery about it.
The meeting finished, I made my way back to Ratisbonne via the post office to post a birthday card to my friend Violet (hope it gets there in time) then a stop at the supermarket to make sure I keep body and soul together. Still not always sure what I'm eating! I forgot that what I buy at the supermarket I then have to carry up the hill!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My thoughts this afternoon were with the ChA+ team as they made Christingles at the Your North Somerset event in the Winter Gardens. We had such a good time and made lots of contacts last year when we did it, so the event was very much on my heart and in my prayers today.
Full day in the office tomorrow so I need to close now, but more will follow tomorrow.
Tuesday 21 January 2014
TUESDAY, 21ST:
I got the bus down to Emek Refa'im about 10 a.m. and went to the supermarket to buy something for lunch in the office and for a first foray into cooking. There are no readymade
sandwiches around so lunch was a DIY of very nice bread rolls, sliced cheese (? my family will probably understand the question mark), houmous and tomatoes, washed down with cranberry juice, followed by some lovely pastries,, and finally coffee. A feast for a working lunch in
an absolutely lovely office. in a beautiful convent filled with God's peace.
I spent some time reading through the folder on last year's course - a huge amount of work went into it as one might imagine. I refuse to be daunted - don't do daunted - because I know I'm here in response to God's calling and all will be well.
What a privilege to be here in this beautiful Land, under blue skies, almost blinding sunlight, and to be at Bat Kol - I still think I'm going to wake up in a minute.
Back at Ratisbonne I decided to pass on cooking this evening as I still have some bread rolls,
and would like to eat them whilst they're still fresh, and there's some lovely beef and chicken in the fridge - frustration though is that I bought a large jar of olives several days ago and so far the lid is stuck fast. There's never a strong man who could open them when I go into the kitchen but they'll keep.
The mobile numbers which I put in yesterday's post need to be preceded by the international code, which for UK is 00972 and the first 0 of the phone number dropped.
I got the bus down to Emek Refa'im about 10 a.m. and went to the supermarket to buy something for lunch in the office and for a first foray into cooking. There are no readymade
sandwiches around so lunch was a DIY of very nice bread rolls, sliced cheese (? my family will probably understand the question mark), houmous and tomatoes, washed down with cranberry juice, followed by some lovely pastries,, and finally coffee. A feast for a working lunch in
an absolutely lovely office. in a beautiful convent filled with God's peace.
I spent some time reading through the folder on last year's course - a huge amount of work went into it as one might imagine. I refuse to be daunted - don't do daunted - because I know I'm here in response to God's calling and all will be well.
What a privilege to be here in this beautiful Land, under blue skies, almost blinding sunlight, and to be at Bat Kol - I still think I'm going to wake up in a minute.
Back at Ratisbonne I decided to pass on cooking this evening as I still have some bread rolls,
and would like to eat them whilst they're still fresh, and there's some lovely beef and chicken in the fridge - frustration though is that I bought a large jar of olives several days ago and so far the lid is stuck fast. There's never a strong man who could open them when I go into the kitchen but they'll keep.
The mobile numbers which I put in yesterday's post need to be preceded by the international code, which for UK is 00972 and the first 0 of the phone number dropped.
Monday 20 January 2014
SISTERS OF SION DAY OF CELEBRATION
MONDAY, 20TH:
Today certainly didn't disappoint! The sun shone with comforting warmth as we assembled at Ein Kerem for a celebration Mass followed by a lovely lunch. A gathering of around 100, Sisters and Brothers of Sion of many nationalities plus religious from neighbouring orders and Associates and students from overseas.
During the course of the Mass five languages were used: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Hebrew, The Gospel was John 2:1-11, and the celebrant preached about wine as a source of joy and life, but also that if we want miracles then we have to ask for them, but also be prepared to be obedient - Mary said 'Do as He tells you.' Then expect the best. That was the gist of it I believe but the priest's voice was not very loud, he was French which made understanding more difficult, and there was no amplification. He did encourage us also to enjoy our wine with lunch.
The meal was lovely and the whole celebration offered an opportunity to catch up Sisters I met last year and to meet newcomers including two Associates (lay supporters of Sion) who were on a two week visit to Ecce Homo from America. All in all it was a wonderful time and an amazing privilege to be there. Gatherings such as this make me think this is how heaven is going to be!
In the afternoon back down to earth I set myself the task of organising the mobile phones, my personal one and the Bat Kol one which I shall be using. There is a phone shop on Emek Refa'im, so with my best 'Do you speak English please' I set about asking the shopkeeper to sort the phones out for me.
All is now well: following the purchase of an Israeli simcard my own mobile number is now 0526728621 and the Bat Kol one is 0547342227. Hopefully, my own phone will no longer charge me £1.49 per minute to call and to receive.
Today certainly didn't disappoint! The sun shone with comforting warmth as we assembled at Ein Kerem for a celebration Mass followed by a lovely lunch. A gathering of around 100, Sisters and Brothers of Sion of many nationalities plus religious from neighbouring orders and Associates and students from overseas.
During the course of the Mass five languages were used: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Hebrew, The Gospel was John 2:1-11, and the celebrant preached about wine as a source of joy and life, but also that if we want miracles then we have to ask for them, but also be prepared to be obedient - Mary said 'Do as He tells you.' Then expect the best. That was the gist of it I believe but the priest's voice was not very loud, he was French which made understanding more difficult, and there was no amplification. He did encourage us also to enjoy our wine with lunch.
The meal was lovely and the whole celebration offered an opportunity to catch up Sisters I met last year and to meet newcomers including two Associates (lay supporters of Sion) who were on a two week visit to Ecce Homo from America. All in all it was a wonderful time and an amazing privilege to be there. Gatherings such as this make me think this is how heaven is going to be!
In the afternoon back down to earth I set myself the task of organising the mobile phones, my personal one and the Bat Kol one which I shall be using. There is a phone shop on Emek Refa'im, so with my best 'Do you speak English please' I set about asking the shopkeeper to sort the phones out for me.
All is now well: following the purchase of an Israeli simcard my own mobile number is now 0526728621 and the Bat Kol one is 0547342227. Hopefully, my own phone will no longer charge me £1.49 per minute to call and to receive.
Sunday 19 January 2014
MOVING FORWARD
SUNDAY, 19TH:
My plan for today was to worship at Christ Church in the Old City at their 9.30 Eucharist. I had gone to this service once in July and it had been a great experience then, so it seemed a good idea to go back and to probably make it my regular place of worship whilst I'm here. I was not disappointed!
My plan for today was to worship at Christ Church in the Old City at their 9.30 Eucharist. I had gone to this service once in July and it had been a great experience then, so it seemed a good idea to go back and to probably make it my regular place of worship whilst I'm here. I was not disappointed!
The preacher and celebrant was the Principal of the school, an Irishman on fire for the Lord. Coupled with the liturgy and the music, both of which were woven through with a Jewish flavour with parts in Hebrew, and then prayer ministry, the morning was all I needed to assure me that I am in the right place. You will know how much I enjoy music in worship, and the choice was lovely, some of it written by the pianist/vocalist in the music group who had her own CDs for sale after the service, about a dozen in all most of which she had written and performed herself - I shall be bringing some back with me! Again her music is very Jewish, a lot based on the Old Testament. To my surprise, when the service came to an end all too soon I realised it had been two hours and yet it seemed nothing like as long as that - now that's worship!
After the service Coffee was served outside in the courtyard so I was able to talk to some of the congregation, and then went to lunch at the restaurant with several members of the women's group and the Vicar's wife and they invited me to join their Bible study group on Wednesday mornings which I said I would when I'm free.
Christ Church is a complex with not just the church but also a guest house, restaurant, coffee shop, school, work room, museum, etc. and amongst other projects they work with the poor in the area, particularly Jews and Palestinians.
Later I again met, Rita, one of the people I'd had lunch with and we traveled down on the bus which was helpful because Rita gave me information about buying multiple bus tickets to save money, so that's on my list of things to do, take a trip to the Bus Station and sort out how to do that. I didn't know until Rita told me that when you buy a bus ticket for 7 shekels, it's valid for 90 mins on any bus route or train! I would have gone on buying a new one every time. .
That's what I call progress - a successful day in terms of contacts as well as beautiful spiritual worship. A great move forward too from sitting on a park bench yesterday thinking 'how can I do this?'! It's all about finding ways of meeting people and integrating, so far so good - I have been here less than a week!
I look forward now to tomorrow which is a special day for the Sisters of Sion, a celebration of the founding of the order by the Ratisbonne brothers in 1843 following a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who appeared to Alphonse in Rome on 20th January, 1842 and so there's a special celebration at the convent at Ein Kerem a village just outside of Jerusalem. It will be a huge privilege to there for this, as well as an opportunity to meet again with the Sisters from Ecce Homo and the Ein Kerem congregation. More about that in the next entry.
Very soon I will add pictures - but they're not coming out too well at the moment, but I'm sure I can improve on them!
Saturday 18 January 2014
It's all starting to come together:
This entry is a three day catch-up which I am writing at the end of Shabbat.
Thursday, 16th: Another day of spending time in the office, and finding out other things around like buses!
Friday, 17th: Day to prepare for Shabbat. I expected to go to the weekly Parashat discussion group at synagogue but buses and taxis had other ideas. I needed to be at Otneil Street by 8.45 so thought 8 a.m. start would leave ample time - it would if any buses came (beginning to sound a bit like WSM?). When waiting was not rewarded I decided to walk, especially as the bus stop had an electronic board with a message which read 'This information may not be accurate' - great!!!!!!!!!! Got to the next bus stop, starting to wilt a bit so thought I'd wait again, still no bus - getting serious now, so I walked again, only to be overtaken just a little further on by at least four buses nose to tail (definitely even worse than WSM). Nothing for it now but to speed up, but spirit willing flesh week so I hailed a taxi although I wasn't far from the end of the journey - how can I get what might be the only taxi driver in Jerusalem who has no idea where I want to go and can't read the map I show him, he even phoned control and gave me the phone. Gave up, got out, decided to phone to say I'm nearly there, please wait, when the Tesco 'Pay as you Go' service said I needed to top up my credit (hardly surprising at £1.49 a min. to phone or receive calls). To have stopped and punched in card numbers would have been ridiculous so I kept on walking. End of story - five minutes late and I missed the lift so I decided I needed a treat to make up for the loss and found the best ever croissant and coffee at the Masaryk Waffle House on Emek Refa'im. Great find but now they're closing for six weeks for a refit!
The day improved by the finding of a better supermarket than before, but got bad again when all the lights in my room and bathroom blew and I couldn't find anyone to fix them. Then came the affirmation of what it's all about: worship at Kol HaNeshama Synagogue followed by a Shabbat supper. The synagogue is progressive reform, with a prayer book in Hebrew, alliterated so you can pronounce it even if you can't read the Hebrew characters, and in English also, and Rabbi Levi is an inspiration, a channel through which the Spirit works in a powerful way, drawing the whole congregation into closer communion with Adonai, the Divine Presence, and in doing so welcoming the Sabbath, reflecting on the past week, and going into the Sabbath to spend it with G-d as He spends it with us.
A prayer from the Reform Siddur, the Jewish prayer book:
Then to come out into a new day, a day to spend with G-d, putting everything else aside - not an occasional quiet day but a weekly day of devotion, time for family and friends - and above all to show that we are in love with Yah as He is in love with us.
In the home, the table will have been specially laid with the white cloth, best crockery and the candles will have been lit with a prayer before going to synagogue:
After synagogue, the supper where the liturgy of the bread and wine takes place in the home at the family table - this is how Jesus would have known the Sabbath in his own home,
Wine is poured and blessed, with the words:
Bread is broken and blessed, with the words:
This entry is a three day catch-up which I am writing at the end of Shabbat.
Thursday, 16th: Another day of spending time in the office, and finding out other things around like buses!
Friday, 17th: Day to prepare for Shabbat. I expected to go to the weekly Parashat discussion group at synagogue but buses and taxis had other ideas. I needed to be at Otneil Street by 8.45 so thought 8 a.m. start would leave ample time - it would if any buses came (beginning to sound a bit like WSM?). When waiting was not rewarded I decided to walk, especially as the bus stop had an electronic board with a message which read 'This information may not be accurate' - great!!!!!!!!!! Got to the next bus stop, starting to wilt a bit so thought I'd wait again, still no bus - getting serious now, so I walked again, only to be overtaken just a little further on by at least four buses nose to tail (definitely even worse than WSM). Nothing for it now but to speed up, but spirit willing flesh week so I hailed a taxi although I wasn't far from the end of the journey - how can I get what might be the only taxi driver in Jerusalem who has no idea where I want to go and can't read the map I show him, he even phoned control and gave me the phone. Gave up, got out, decided to phone to say I'm nearly there, please wait, when the Tesco 'Pay as you Go' service said I needed to top up my credit (hardly surprising at £1.49 a min. to phone or receive calls). To have stopped and punched in card numbers would have been ridiculous so I kept on walking. End of story - five minutes late and I missed the lift so I decided I needed a treat to make up for the loss and found the best ever croissant and coffee at the Masaryk Waffle House on Emek Refa'im. Great find but now they're closing for six weeks for a refit!
The day improved by the finding of a better supermarket than before, but got bad again when all the lights in my room and bathroom blew and I couldn't find anyone to fix them. Then came the affirmation of what it's all about: worship at Kol HaNeshama Synagogue followed by a Shabbat supper. The synagogue is progressive reform, with a prayer book in Hebrew, alliterated so you can pronounce it even if you can't read the Hebrew characters, and in English also, and Rabbi Levi is an inspiration, a channel through which the Spirit works in a powerful way, drawing the whole congregation into closer communion with Adonai, the Divine Presence, and in doing so welcoming the Sabbath, reflecting on the past week, and going into the Sabbath to spend it with G-d as He spends it with us.
A prayer from the Reform Siddur, the Jewish prayer book:
We enter this Sanctuary to welcome Shabbat.
Within these walls we sit surrounded by numberless generations.
Our ancestors built the synagogue as a visible sign of God's Presence in their midst.
Throughout our long history and our endless wanderings, it has endured.,
a beacon of truth, love, and justice for all humanity.
Its presence guided our ancestors to lives of righteousness,
holding up to them a vision of their truest selves.
Now we, in our turn, come into this sanctuary to affirm the sacredness of our lives.
May we enter this place in peace.
May holiness wrap around us as we cross its threshold,
weariness, doubts, the flaws within our human hearts,
the hardness of the week - let these drop away at the door.
In the brightness of Shabbat, let peace settle upon us as we lift our hearts in prayer.
This encapsulates the sacredness of Shabbat - and our need of this sacred space.
In the home, the table will have been specially laid with the white cloth, best crockery and the candles will have been lit with a prayer before going to synagogue:
'Blessed are you, Lord, our God,
Sovereign of the universe,
who hallows us with mitzvot,
commanding us to kindle the light of Shabbat.'.
After synagogue, the supper where the liturgy of the bread and wine takes place in the home at the family table - this is how Jesus would have known the Sabbath in his own home,
'Blessed are you, Lord, our God,
Sovereign of the universe,
who creates the fruit of the vine'
Bread is broken and blessed, with the words:
'Blessed are you, Lord, our God,
King of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.'
At the table, scripture is discussed - I have nothing which compares in my own family or faith life. A beautiful liturgy right there in the home to repeatedly bring families together around the table to give thanks and praise Yah. I am told that even families who do not attend synagogue will still come and share the supper ritual.
Truly a weekly blessing, as was :
Saturday, 18th:
A city in shutdown! No shops open, no buses running, very few cars or people on the streets. I spent the morning reflectively and then made a picnic lunch. Again it was like a summers day, and I only had to walk two or three hundred yards up King George Street to find a park to sit and eat. There were a few families playing with their children, some groups walking back from synagogue, no noise, just the peace of Yah's presence as He watched His beloved children enjoying their day with Him. There can be no doubt that Judaism has this right in obedience to G-d's commandment
' You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.'
The words of Jesus: 'Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn't come to destroy them, but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ' Matt. 5:17, 18 NIV
Wednesday 15 January 2014
And now to work!
Wednesday, 15th January, the day to start at the Bat Kol office! A bit like first day at school but made easier by familiar surroundings - St Charles Hospice - and knowing Maureena. A super office (being an adapted guest room it even has a shower! With the expertise of Michael, Natalie's husband, I now have an Bat Kol email address, etc. By the end of the day I was definitely feeling at home and that this is a good place to be and a really good task to be doing.
Lunch was falafels sitting in brilliant sunshine on Emek Refa'im - if any of the Class of 2013 reads this, I wish you could have been here too!
Lunch was falafels sitting in brilliant sunshine on Emek Refa'im - if any of the Class of 2013 reads this, I wish you could have been here too!
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Episode Two - Return to Jerusalem?
The question mark in the title of this Post is that I never expected when I came back to the UK at the end of July 2013 that in under 6 months I'd be writing once again from Jerusalem - and this time for the longer haul.
You see when I flew back on 29th July, although I felt a great wrench at leaving Jerusalem, I truly thought that was it - a one off inspiring course, and then to normality. But I wasn't back long before I had an intense calling to return to Jerusalem; this was not a whim on my part 'oh, wouldn't it be nice to go back some time'. No, this was a calling which persistently grew stronger and stronger the more I tried to resist it. The obvious block for me was how would this happen? I had no means of going back, no reason, nothing to do there, etc. but still the calling grew. Time came towards the end of August to ask God, if this crazy notion was of Him, I would need a sign. Before the day was finished, I had an email telling me that Natalia, the Bat Kol Office Manager would be leaving to take up another appointment in Jerusalem. It was no longer a mystery what I MIGHT do, and so when I attended Maureena's workshop at Ammerdown in early September, I knew I had to share with her what God had laid on my heart. As a result I made an offer to the Bat Kol Board that I would come to Jerusalem and fill the vacancy until the end of July in a voluntary capacity in the same way as all my ministry is carried out. After due consideration, they accepted the offer, and I believe the Divine sense of humour was at work when I received a positive answer from the Board during the Bath & Wells Clergy Conference which was entitled 'Taking the Plunge Together'! I then went into to overdirve and set in motion a lot of preparation to withdraw temporarily from my lead at ChA+, the town centre chaplaincy in Weston-super-Mare and from my ministry at St Peter's, Milton. Neither of these was an easy process, either from an organisation point or from relationships with people I have known and loved for many years, but it's not a permanent split, I shall return to Weston for the whole of April and will be back at the end of July.
Sunday, 12th January, was the day to leave, and it was quite a wrench: I attended church in the morning and there were lots of farewells and more than a hint of sadness for us all .... this had been escalating as I had been having 'farewell' meals with friends in the preceding weeks. Then back home for a frenzy of packing - my diary was really very committed right up to the end of Saturday - but eventually the cases were in the car, and I was off for a lovely lunch with Ruth, Jeremy and Rebekah, and later a 'meze' style supper to get me in the mood for Israel. All this was great although I believe it made leaving harder, but a 'group hug' at Bristol bus station and I was on National Express heading for London Victoria and then onward to London Luton. The coach times were not ideal as I arrived at the airport at 1.00 a.m. which meant an all night wait as my flight was not until 9 a.m. As the coach was about to leave Victoria, a very young looking woman with a large suitcase and a small baby in a pushchair arrived just in time to board. When we reached the airport I offered space for her case on my luggage trolley so she just had the pushchair to manage. This worked well, and we spent the rest of the time together. Diane and baby Oliver were heading home to Latvia, flying out at 8 a.m. (Ruth had already said she was sure I would find someone to talk with whilst waiting - how true that was!)
Monday, 13th January, and the flight was delayed for an hour due to fog - we boarded at the normal time of 8.30 onwards so you can imagine the waiting time on the plane and not knowing why we were waiting was a bit tedious for me with my feelings about flying. However, all was well and eventually the day ended with me settling into my new abode, a room in the Ratisbonne Centre to unpack and enjoy a much needed shower!
Tuesday, 14th January, and the first day of a whole new experience - a free day with no telephone, no meetings, no anything - a day of quiet and freedom to explore Jerusalem, get my bearings, stock up my half shelf in the shared fridge, and just to be. And so, I put on the famous walking boots and walked and walked! First I wanted to be sure I could walk to the Bat Kol Office from here, once I knew I was close enough to St Charles that was enough and so I set my sights on the Old City, going to Mt Zion, the Upper Room, a snack lunch at Christ Church Coffee Shop, and then down to Jaffa Street to find a phone shop to get a charger for my mobile phone - I had to forget something didn't I and that was one thing, the other being the one for my Kobo but I'll probably ask for that to be posted as it's less urgent. There was time to take pictures, or to talk, or just to sit. At one point I was sitting on a bench near the junction of Ben Yehuda and King George Street when someone sat beside me and, as I turned to see who it was, I was surprised to be asked 'what day is it?' That was the beginning of a delightful and quite helpful time for both of us: I could tell the old man it was Tuesday, 14th, and because he was born in 1926 and spoke clear English he could tell me lots of things about Jerusalem including the fact we were sitting on top of a supermarket! Both of us got some information we needed! The reason he needed to know the day was to make sure it was Lotto day. Eventually, pleased with my day's progress, I returned to Ratisbonne to prepare for the next day's meeting with Maureena and Nathalie, update my blog, do some reading and probably some Hebrew revision before having an early night.
You see when I flew back on 29th July, although I felt a great wrench at leaving Jerusalem, I truly thought that was it - a one off inspiring course, and then to normality. But I wasn't back long before I had an intense calling to return to Jerusalem; this was not a whim on my part 'oh, wouldn't it be nice to go back some time'. No, this was a calling which persistently grew stronger and stronger the more I tried to resist it. The obvious block for me was how would this happen? I had no means of going back, no reason, nothing to do there, etc. but still the calling grew. Time came towards the end of August to ask God, if this crazy notion was of Him, I would need a sign. Before the day was finished, I had an email telling me that Natalia, the Bat Kol Office Manager would be leaving to take up another appointment in Jerusalem. It was no longer a mystery what I MIGHT do, and so when I attended Maureena's workshop at Ammerdown in early September, I knew I had to share with her what God had laid on my heart. As a result I made an offer to the Bat Kol Board that I would come to Jerusalem and fill the vacancy until the end of July in a voluntary capacity in the same way as all my ministry is carried out. After due consideration, they accepted the offer, and I believe the Divine sense of humour was at work when I received a positive answer from the Board during the Bath & Wells Clergy Conference which was entitled 'Taking the Plunge Together'! I then went into to overdirve and set in motion a lot of preparation to withdraw temporarily from my lead at ChA+, the town centre chaplaincy in Weston-super-Mare and from my ministry at St Peter's, Milton. Neither of these was an easy process, either from an organisation point or from relationships with people I have known and loved for many years, but it's not a permanent split, I shall return to Weston for the whole of April and will be back at the end of July.
Sunday, 12th January, was the day to leave, and it was quite a wrench: I attended church in the morning and there were lots of farewells and more than a hint of sadness for us all .... this had been escalating as I had been having 'farewell' meals with friends in the preceding weeks. Then back home for a frenzy of packing - my diary was really very committed right up to the end of Saturday - but eventually the cases were in the car, and I was off for a lovely lunch with Ruth, Jeremy and Rebekah, and later a 'meze' style supper to get me in the mood for Israel. All this was great although I believe it made leaving harder, but a 'group hug' at Bristol bus station and I was on National Express heading for London Victoria and then onward to London Luton. The coach times were not ideal as I arrived at the airport at 1.00 a.m. which meant an all night wait as my flight was not until 9 a.m. As the coach was about to leave Victoria, a very young looking woman with a large suitcase and a small baby in a pushchair arrived just in time to board. When we reached the airport I offered space for her case on my luggage trolley so she just had the pushchair to manage. This worked well, and we spent the rest of the time together. Diane and baby Oliver were heading home to Latvia, flying out at 8 a.m. (Ruth had already said she was sure I would find someone to talk with whilst waiting - how true that was!)
Monday, 13th January, and the flight was delayed for an hour due to fog - we boarded at the normal time of 8.30 onwards so you can imagine the waiting time on the plane and not knowing why we were waiting was a bit tedious for me with my feelings about flying. However, all was well and eventually the day ended with me settling into my new abode, a room in the Ratisbonne Centre to unpack and enjoy a much needed shower!
Tuesday, 14th January, and the first day of a whole new experience - a free day with no telephone, no meetings, no anything - a day of quiet and freedom to explore Jerusalem, get my bearings, stock up my half shelf in the shared fridge, and just to be. And so, I put on the famous walking boots and walked and walked! First I wanted to be sure I could walk to the Bat Kol Office from here, once I knew I was close enough to St Charles that was enough and so I set my sights on the Old City, going to Mt Zion, the Upper Room, a snack lunch at Christ Church Coffee Shop, and then down to Jaffa Street to find a phone shop to get a charger for my mobile phone - I had to forget something didn't I and that was one thing, the other being the one for my Kobo but I'll probably ask for that to be posted as it's less urgent. There was time to take pictures, or to talk, or just to sit. At one point I was sitting on a bench near the junction of Ben Yehuda and King George Street when someone sat beside me and, as I turned to see who it was, I was surprised to be asked 'what day is it?' That was the beginning of a delightful and quite helpful time for both of us: I could tell the old man it was Tuesday, 14th, and because he was born in 1926 and spoke clear English he could tell me lots of things about Jerusalem including the fact we were sitting on top of a supermarket! Both of us got some information we needed! The reason he needed to know the day was to make sure it was Lotto day. Eventually, pleased with my day's progress, I returned to Ratisbonne to prepare for the next day's meeting with Maureena and Nathalie, update my blog, do some reading and probably some Hebrew revision before having an early night.
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