Wait how long have I been here??? Week 2
- bgiles2016
- Aug 1, 2021
- 7 min read
This has been a very interesting week. There have moments I felt complete peace and joy from God’s presence and moments when I felt alone and overwhelmed.
New Word:
קדוש
Pronounced: Kadosh Meaning: Holy
Long before we made it to Israel, my roommates and I were informed that the Beer Sheva IKEA would be having a sale ending on July 27th. Sunday we made the trek to see what IKEA had to offer. It was quite an experience. On the way, we stopped and got some Shawarma (SOOO YUMMY). I’m thankful we ate before shopping because once we went into IKEA it was almost as if it had swallowed us up because we were there for many hours. Luckily, we found and bought kitchen supplies to add to our one pot and single fork. We have been eating and cooking like queens since then. (: I also bought a towel on sale, I had been looking for one at a reasonable price for a while, so Praise the Lamb!!
We also spent a day at the BIG this week. This is a HUGE outdoor mall. We spent hours there and didn’t get through half of the shops. But we did find a really cute spice shop where I got dried apricots, peanuts, and almonds. And we found the cheapest grocery store!! (we already have made a second trip back to stock up) Not having a vehicle is a huge transition when it comes to grocery shopping. I have been learning how to be strategic because even when you use the bus, you have to walk to the bus stop with whatever you decided to purchase. I have already discovered the importance of having pita and hummus on hand at all times for an easy no prep meal, so I always make sure my supply stocked before every grocery run.
The experience that may have been the highlight of my week was a bible study I went to Tuesday night. I want to bring all my friends/family from home, just so they can experience it. WOW. The bible study included MSIH students as well as international Ben Gurion students who are believers. The student host, Rachel, provided a delicious meal and after getting to chat for a while we worshiped and sang together. It was a beautiful sound and I loved it. We read through a passage in Acts together and then everyone just shared and talked and asked questions about what we had read. It was just so rich and encouraging. Words cannot describe how wonderful it was to experience the church and talk about what it looked like to be a Christian in this new place. God is so faithful to provide such a group of believers who have already made us feel so welcome. I can’t wait to continue growing and pursuing God with these humans. One of the students we spoke with talked about how living in Israel has changed how he reads the Old Testament and the Prophets. God calls us to be prepared to give a response when people ask us why we believe and in a population who lives based on Old Testament commandments, it is a reminder to us of how we can use the Old Testament to point back to Jesus.
We also met with our future landlord’s wife to figure out the details of our lease this week. This was definitely an adventure. We walked to the address she provided for us and tried to figure out which building she was located in. I think we made 3 or 4 stops, each of which the people pointed us in a different direction haha. People here are very willing to help you if you are brave enough to ask them (: Eventually, we called the landlord's wife who is a lawyer and she met us at a restaurant before bringing us to her office. It is important to note that in Israel, you basically need your passport wherever you go. It feels counter intuitive because typically I leave it in a very safe spot when I am abroad or in the U.S. and simply travel with a copy, but that is not the case here. We needed it to get through the University Security, Lauren needed it to purchase an expresso machine, and we needed it in order to get a copy of the lease. But we were able to get a copy of the lease, which is completely in Hebrew of course. Thankfully we have liaisons who were willing and able to read through our lease and give us advice on what should be changed.
Thursday we officially met many of our classmates and quite a few of the second-year students as well. The second-year students had put together a student led orientation for us. I was a little annoyed at first that I had to bring a show and tell object to share with the group. First of all I didn’t want to stand up and talk about myself haha. Second of all, I feel like I didn’t bring many objects with me that have a special meaning outside of their functional use (my suitcase was already way overweight, so it wasn’t really feasible). But, after looking through what I had, I decided to bring a gift that is very near and dear to my heart. I chose my key Kat made for me during COVID as a reminder of Jesus being enough. While I didn’t explain all of this to my classmates, I kept it as short as possible, if they want to ask about it, they can. And if they do, I pray I am able to show them a picture of Jesus and his love. After the student led orientation, the liaisons who are Hebrew medical students, brought us on a walking tour in the hospital and to the most popular student park in Beer Sheva. Honestly, it was really hard to focus on the tour because we were all talking to each other trying to get to know everyone haha. I just hope when the time comes for me to find places, a few details will stick with me. No guarantees though given how directionally challenged I am (:
On Friday, we made our BIG grocery run and got lots of yummy things including chicken!!! YAY meat! Lauren taught me how to make spring rolls and they were very delicious! In the afternoon we stopped by the Ben Gurion pool to meet up with other students and honestly had a pretty good time talking and getting to know the second-years. We left early so we could go back to the dorms before making the long walk to church. All the buses and public transportation stops before 4:30pm on Friday in preparation for Shabbat. Lauren and I met up with Jack and Caroline and were quite sweaty when we arrived 40 minutes later. But it is MORE than worth it to gather with our new friends and fellow believers. Many people we met from bible study were there and it felt so sweet to already feel connected to such a rich and deep community. They came over and gave us hugs and welcomed us before the service began. After the service, our new friends Tal and Eden offered to walk back with us and what a treat it was!! We got to hear the story of how they met and how God truly worked through their relationship. We also found out that when Tal proposed to Eden they made the news!! Below is the link if you want to read about it, honestly they are so cool!!
Saturday was Shabbat of course. The designated day of rest. Lauren offered to run with me in the morning which was a very nice start to the day. We made a breakfast scramble and did laundry when we got back. Laundry felt like a huge victory to figure out, even if it did cost 8 sheckles (about $2.30) for one small load. We basically just rested most of the day and then watched a movie together and made Pad Thai for supper! So if you are worried about me not eating enough good food, your prayers have been answered through Lauren who is definitely a cooking master who is willing to make food with me/for me. However, we did receive news that one of the students who came to the pool party got a positive COVID test result back. I don’t know if I was directly exposed to her, but I was around other people who had been around her. So today, Sunday, was supposed to be our first official day of class. The school decided to postpone (possible cancel) today’s activities and just begin class as scheduled tomorrow. Currently we are trying to find a walk-in clinic to get tested because we simply want to be honest and considerate to our fellow classmates. The first available appointment was for tomorrow at 1pm which wouldn’t work at all with class time.. I am trusting God to work this out but it is discouraging and frustrating.
(Somehow I already lost my sunglasses haha.... so Lauren was kind enough to let me borrow some of hers for the pool)
I also had to miss my dear friend Brooke (Fisher) Carson’s wedding. I thought I had already gotten my sadness and tears out long ago when I first discovered I couldn’t go. But I was wrong. My mom was kind enough to send lots of videos. It was beautiful and I definitely cried. Almost daily I have to remind myself why I am here. The word I put at the beginning means holy. One of the songs we sang at church (in Hebrew) had a line of lyrics that said He is making me Holy. Holy Holy Holy. If the only reason I am here is to grow in Christ, then that should be enough. Even with all the hard and all the sadness, He should be enough. I miss everyone and I’m praying for each of you!!
Prayer requests:
Lots of negative COVID test results for all the student exposed!!
Patience and Grace
Relationships
That Christ will be glorified through me
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